The Edinburgh International Film Festival Awards

It has been announced that the Iranian film director Samira Makhmalbaf will chair the Michael Powell Best British Feature Film Competition Jury at the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Actor and director Kevin McKidd (Brave) and film critic Derek Malcolm (Evening Standard) will also be on the panel.

The Michael Powell Award was first introduced to the film festival in 1990 to honour imagination and creativity in British filmmaking. Fittingly, it is named after one of Britain’s most original filmmakers. The award carries a cash prize and previous winners have included My Summer of Love (by Pawel Pawlikoswki) and Tsotsi (by Gavin Hood). There are 11 nominees up for the coveted award this year, including Dummy Jim ( by Matt Hulse), For Those in Peril (by Paul Wright), Blackbird (by Jamie Chambers) and Not Another Happy Ending (John McKay).

Other awards at the festival include The Audience Award (supported by Sainsbury’s Bank), Best Performance in a British Feature Film, The Student Critics Jury Award and Outstanding Individual Contribution to a Short Film.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival opens tonight and runs until Monday, July 1. For more information on the awards, visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk.