“It’s shite being Scottish!”: ‘Trainspotting’ set for 30th anniversary special screening in Edinburgh
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Trainspotting with a special live screening of the film, featuring cast and crew.
The iconic movie, directed by Danny Boyle and based on the original novel by Irvine Welsh, was released in 1996 and has since been recognised as one of the greatest Scottish films of all time.
Set within the streets of Leith and Edinburgh more widely, it propelled its cast, which included Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, and Kelly MacDonald, to fame.
As such, the film is fittingly set to return to the historic and freshly-refurbished Leith Theatre on August 14th, for a special event which will reopen the venue after years of closure.
It is the first, and likely most significant, piece of the programme in this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, with the full roster of events being announced on July 1st.
The special 30th anniversary screening will feature live commentary from members of the cast and crew who worked on Trainspotting, as well as a club night featuring DJ sets from Welsh and Darren Emerson.
Paul Ridd, the director of the film festival, said upon the announcement (via The Herald): “Ask anyone about Scotland and cinema and the first things they would likely think of would be Sean Connery and Trainspotting. Now we are thrilled to finally honour the most iconic Scottish film ever made, in the place where it originated and with a new spin.”
He added, “The opportunity to hear directly from the people who made the film followed by the thrill of celebrating that iconic soundtrack together should make for a night for the ages. That we get to do all that in a venue as full of promise and renewal as Leith Theatre is the icing on the cake. We cannot wait.”
It marks the peak of a massive anniversary year for Trainspotting, with a musical adaptation having been announced to hit London’s West End in July, followed by a UK tour later this year.
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