The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) to interview Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore about her cinema career and work with the UN

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) will interview Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore onstage during this year’s festival.

She will discuss her cinema career and her work as Chair of India’s Board of Film Certification and UN Goodwill Ambassador.

The EIFF will also host a three day Bengali cinema event, curated by Mark Cousins, which will take place at St Johns Church Hall in the city. Seven classic Bengali features by film-makers such as Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak will be screened in the makeshift cinema. The British Council Scotland and the Scottish Government are partnering with EIFF on the event.

Dario Argento’s world premiere of Giallo screens as part of cult section Night Moves, which will have a horror theme, alongside the world premieres of UK film-makers Stuart Hazledine’s Exam and Laurence Gough’s Salvage.

Under The Radar, the section that focuses on cutting edge new movie making, will screen Zach Clark’s Modern Love Is Automatic and Ryan Denmark’s Romeo & Juliet vs The Living Dead among others.

EIFF Artistic Director Hannah McGill said: “In many ways Night Moves and Under The Radar are the heart of EIFF: these after-dark screenings are where you find the real die-hards, the people hellbent on a really extreme film experience.”

The festival’s new cinematic television programme will screen UK premieres of US vampire drama True Blood, from creator Alan Ball and HBO drama In Treatment, starring Gabriel Byrne.

The Festival will have its main programme launch on Wednesday May 6.