Forget Cannes, put Venice aside, because this summer the Edinburgh International Film Festival is where it's at. For one thing, try getting a deep-fried Mars Bar on the Croisette. For several more, it's more accessible to the moviegoing public, a lot closer to home and **Empire **will be there with a series of Hero Hangouts and a screening of its freshly-announced Greatest Movie Of All Time. And if that isn't enough to pique your interest, EIFF has just announced a wide-ranging and typically provocative slate that includes new films from Anton Corbijn, Abel Ferrara, Gillies MacKinnon and Gia Coppola.
Running from June 18-29, the festival opens with crime thriller **Hyena before debuting Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man, featuring one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's last screen roles, and Gia Coppola's Palo Alto, a teen drama based on James Franco's novel and starring Franco and Emma Roberts.
Other highlights include much-hyped indie thriller Cold In July, the UK premiere of Bong Joon-ho's **Snowpiercer **and a hand-drawn animation, Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, that Michel Gondry has somehow squeezed into his diary alongside Mood Indigo.
"A film festival must keep trying to remain challenging, provocative and responsive", said EIFF artistic director Chris Fuijiwara, "and I believe the programme we’re unveiling today shows our success at doing that this year. It’s a diverse and artistically strong programme that will delight and surprise our audiences, both old and new, and that will reward those who share our passion for exploring cinema in all its forms.”
Also screening will be **Small Faces **and **Regeneration **director MacKinnon's latest, Castles In The Sky, starring Eddie Izzard; Greyhawk from Guy Pitt; Hide And Seek from Joanna Coates; Brighton-set rom-com My Accomplice; Dylan Thomas biopic Set Fire To The Stars; 'poignant comedy' A Practical Guide To Spectacular Suicide; Uberto Pasolini's Still Life and tragic real-life story We Are Monster.
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Head to the official website for the full schedule](http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/).