‘Faces of Death’ Joins Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026 Programme

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has pulled back the curtain on its 2026 programme, revealing a packed week of world premieres, anniversary celebrations and major special events, with horror fans set to benefit from one of the festival’s strongest genre line-ups in recent years. Alongside a host of independent discoveries, this year’s Midnight Madness strand will close with the UK premiere of Daniel Goldhaber’s eagerly anticipated Faces of Death, adding another high-profile genre title to an already expansive programme.

Running from 13 to 19 August, the 79th edition of EIFF will present 38 feature films, including 21 world premieres and 10 titles competing for The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. Under the leadership of CEO and Festival Director Paul Ridd and Festival Producer Emma Boa, the festival continues its focus on championing emerging filmmakers while bringing established international talent to Scotland’s capital.

Among the biggest announcements for genre audiences is the UK premiere of Faces of Death, which has been acquired for UK and Ireland distribution by Signature Entertainment ahead of its wider release later this year. Directed by Daniel Goldhaber, whose previous work includes Cam and How to Blow Up a Pipeline, the reimagining stars Barbie Ferreira as a website content moderator who becomes consumed by a series of disturbing videos seemingly recreating scenes from the notorious Faces of Death film series. The cast also includes Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler and Charli XCX.

Goldhaber co-wrote the screenplay with Isa Mazzei, while the producers include Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, Susan Montford and Don Murphy. The film will bring this year’s Midnight Madness programme to a close following its opening night presentation of Chee Keong Cheung’s world premiere action thriller Bad Day at the Office.

EIFF CEO Paul Ridd described Faces of Death as “a stylish and ingenious movie” from filmmakers who have quietly become “some of the most exciting, edgiest” voices working today, adding that the reboot is “fresh, modern and full of ideas” while remaining “a total blast to watch with an audience.”

Signature Entertainment’s Senior Acquisitions Manager Katie Wilkinson-Javes said the distributor was immediately drawn to the film’s modern take on the controversial property, praising its cast and expressing excitement about launching the film at Edinburgh before its UK and Irish release.

The Midnight Madness strand has become one of EIFF’s most anticipated showcases, with recent editions hosting the UK premieres of Alien: Romulus, The Substance and The Toxic Avenger, alongside the world premiere of Ben Wheatley’s Bulk. This year’s selection also includes James Nunn’s survival thriller Hungry, Caleb Phillips’ psychological thriller Imposters and Joby Stephens’ Abandoned, presented in partnership with The Evolution of Horror podcast.

Genre filmmaking also extends beyond the late-night screenings. The Out of Competition selection includes Carlos Conceição’s body horror Bodyhackers, Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine’s British comedy horror The Peril at Pincer Point, and a varied programme of international features spanning thriller, science fiction and dark comedy.

Away from new releases, this year’s festival celebrates several landmark anniversaries, led by a special 30th anniversary screening of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting at Leith Theatre featuring live cast and crew commentary before DJs Irvine Welsh and Darren Emerson revisit the film’s celebrated soundtrack. Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet also receives a 30th anniversary screening, while restored presentations of Sexy Beast, Little Miss Sunshine, The Rock, Visitor Q and Hal Ashby’s Coming Home round out the retrospective programme.

The festival will also introduce the inaugural EIFF Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, with Kenneth Branagh becoming its first recipient. He joins a programme of In Conversation events featuring Bruce Dern, producer Christine Vachon, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

Elsewhere, audiences can look forward to new work from Nicolas Winding Refn, Gregg Araki, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Molly Manners, while the competition section includes world premieres from Paul Wright, Simon Rynink, Joseph Archer, Thom Lunshof and several emerging international filmmakers.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 13 to 19 August 2026. Programme listings are now live, with tickets on sale from 2 July via the festival’s official website. You’ll be able to get yours here: edfilmfest.org/