SCOTLAND'S leading film festival is to unveil a new series of cult movies at this year's event.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is to be staged for the first time in June, will have a new strand of films in its programme called Under the Radar, revealed Hannah McGill its artistic director and former Herald film critic.

The six films, two of which are world premieres, use low budgets and have been described as "kitsch, gory, disturbing and hilarious".

Crack Willow is directed by Martin Radich, a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art.

Ms McGill said: "The term cult cinema' has become mere marketing-speak. With this new section, we want to re-animate the spirit of the truly cult-worthy midnight movie', by showing films that take real risks with their ideas.

"This is a diverse section, but it is all the work of film-makers with vision, creativity and balls."

The EIFF runs from June 18 to 29.