America Ferrera is star attraction at Edinburgh Festival opening

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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One of Britain's biggest film festivals got under way with a host of big names treading the red carpet.

Edinburgh International Film Festival opened with the UK premiere of The Illusionist, by Oscar-nominated French director Sylvain Chomet.


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The programme for the 64th festival, which runs until June 27, boasts 22 world premieres and 133 features.

Festival patron Sir Sean Connery was at the city's Festival Theatre last night for the opening gala, as were X-Men's Sir Patrick Stewart and Ugly Betty's America Ferrera.

Chomet, best-known for his double Oscar-nominated debut feature Belleville Rendez-vous, was also in Edinburgh for tonight's screening.

His new film, created with hand-drawn animations, centres on a magician who travels from Paris to Scotland.

Festival chiefs in Edinburgh said it presents "perhaps the most beautiful evocation of this city's charms in all cinema history".

Other highlights of this year's festival are a gala screening of The Man Who Would Be King. The 1975 classic with Sir Michael Caine and Sir Sean is reportedly one of Connery's best-loved films.
Toy Story 3 will get its first UK showing on June 19, with a 3D screening.

Werner Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? and Steven Soderburgh's And Everything Is Going Fine will be shown.

The closing night features the world premiere of Third Star, a British tragi-comedy by newcomer Hattie Dalton.

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