AFTER 60 years, the Edinburgh International Film Festival is to pull up the red carpets and end its participation in the capital's traditional cultural season.
But it is not the final cut for the festival, which was founded in 1947. It will now be staged in June.
Hannah McGill, the former film critic of The Herald and now the festival's artistic director, said it made "artistic and commercial sense" to shift the dates away from August. She said the festival (EIFF) would now have "breathing space" of its own in the arts calendar, although it will move even closer to the biggest film festival of them all, Cannes, which is in May.
Yesterday, the leaders of the other main summer festivals, the Fringe, the International Festival and the International Book Festival, as well as Linda Fabiani, the Culture Minister, backed the move - and a high-profile former director of the film festival said he had tried to move its dates more than a decade ago.
The festival's two high profile patrons, Sir Sean Connery and Tilda Swinton, also released statements backing the change, which means that from 2008, the festival will run from June 18 to 29.
The film festival believes that by moving to June is can gain more exposure away from three other competing festivals, develop its audience without competition, please the film distributors by offering more publicity for their stars, and build its potential as a film industry forum.
Ms McGill said: "June will give us the breathing space to expand and create our own distinct identity, allowing us to further develop our reputation as one of the world's most innovative, cutting-edge and challenging annual film events." she said.
"Logistically, a June event is also better placed in the ever-crowded international film festival calendar."
Jonathan Mills, the director of the International Festival, said he hoped to work with the film festival in the future and added: "This is a bold and forward looking decision aimed at ensuring that Edinburgh continues to retain its crown as the world's leading festival city through the quality and distinctiveness of each festival's programme."
John McCormick, chair of the EIFF, said: "Over the past three years the festival's board has been considering the long term future of the festival and the strategic direction it should take. All the evidence pointed to a move to June. "
Ginnie Atkinson, the EIFF's managing director, added: "Any move has not been agreed without long consideration of the success we have enjoyed as being an integral part of the August arts celebration, but we have to look to the longer term."
Sir Sean Connery said: "Changing the dates of the film festival will create space for a modern, forward-thinking event that offers higher status and an individual identity to film culture."
However, not everyone was convinced that festival's move would be to its benefit.
Richard Mowe, the film writer who runs the French and Italian film festivals, said: "Removing the EIFF from the cultural hotbed of Edinburgh in August downgrades the festival city this time of year because film is a vital element along with all the other arts.
"The allure of Edinburgh in June does not have the same appeal and the EIFF becomes just another festival on the international circuit."
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