A decade ago I received my first press pass for @edfilmfest and proceeded to spend several hours a day, every day, for eleven days in June watching more films than one could reasonably be expected to remember...mainly inside the hallowed, and wonderful, halls of @Filmhouse ...
Except I can remember the films I saw. Every one of them. I was given a beautiful festival catalogue as part of my press accreditation.

Oh.

I wasn't a "real" journalist. I was a blogger. But I applied and because the film festival is staffed and run by lovely people...
...they didn't look down on me. They read what I was writing, decided it was good and so granted me access.

Nice that.

Anyway.

Thanks to this catalogue still being in my possession I can now tell you every film I saw at the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet) a homage to Tati and a love letter to love, romance and Edinburgh. A thing of rare beauty. Timeless.

Third Star (Hattie Dalton) a film about death and life and friendship and loss...with Benedict blooming' Cumberband in.
brilliantlove (Ashley Horner) a really naughty film about sex, lust, desire, love, outsiderdom and finding out who you are. It really is very naughty.

Cherry Tree Lane (Paul Andrew Williams) social commentary and exploitation melded together to make a really chilling film.
The Kid (Nick Moran) a true story about abuse, power, rage and overcoming the odds. I also met Nick Moran in the corridor of the cinema and he was really nice to me. So there.

SoulBoy (Shimmy Marcus) Martin Compston keeping the faith in this lovely little British film...
...a great soundtrack and an appearance by one of my favourite actresses @MissJoHartley who I had interviewed a few months before this over the 'phone and who when I introduced myself to her at the screening couldn't have been any sweeter.
The Hunter (Rafi Pitts) a dark and disturbing drama about rage and retribution, power and powerlessness. Clever and shocking.

El Hombre de al Lado (The Man Next Door) (Mariano Cohn, Gaston Duprat) a funny but strangely unsettling film from Argentina about...neighbours from Hell
The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan Jose Campanella) undoubtedly one of the greatest films of the last twenty years. A multi-layered drama about so many things! A political allegory, a human drama, a crime story...includes one of the greatest tracking shots in film history.
Out of the Ashes (Tim Albone, Lucy Martens) a documentary about the Afghan national cricket team. Really it is about the devastating impact of the intervention of the West into the middle-east. Heart warming, inspiring and beautiful. One of my favourite sports films.
A Small Act (Jennifer Arnold) a moving documentary that follows Chris Mburu who received an educational sponsorship from Swedish woman called Hilde Back. The film examines the impact small acts of kindness can have on people, communities and the world.
Superhero Me (Steve Sale) ever wanted to be a superhero? So has documentary film maker Steve Sale. I saw this film with a group of school kids as part of the EIFF educational programme. They adored it. I adored it more.

Barry Munday Chris D'Arenzio)...
...an odd little film starring Patrick Wilson about a man who we want to laugh at, mock and dislike but who we grow to, if not love, accept and see as being more human than many of those around him.

Get Low (Aaron Schneider) Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Bill Cobbs.
...do I need to say anything more. I mean the film could just be images of their faces for ninety minutes and it would be Oscar worthy. A great Western.

The Heartbreaker (Pascal Chaumeil) starring Romain Duris as the eponymous heartbreaker and...
...with a great performance from Vanessa Paradis this is a rare beast, a romantic film that is funny but that is not a romcom. A proper treat.

The Runaways (Floria Sigismondi) a biopic of the blink and you missed them Runaways. Starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
I predicted an Oscar win in the future for Fanning. How has that panned out?

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich) what do you want me to say?

World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait) dark, delicious, disturbing and fabulous. Robin Williams gives one of his finest performances in this.
Monsters (Gareth Edwards) a slow but shocking and shockingly real science fiction film. Put together on a shoestring budget but looking, and feeling, like something much grander. A towering achievement.

The Last Rites of Ransom Pride (Tiller Russell)...
...like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia but with more subtlety and charm! A Western about love, revenge, death and loss.

Two Eyes Staring (Elbert van Strien) the second best Dutch horror film of all time? Definitely.

Alamar (Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio) a really beautiful film.
About father-son relationships, childhood, innocence, the drift to adulthood, man and nature. It made me weep tears of joy.

Donkeys (Morag McKinnon) the "sequel" to Red Road. The backstory here is too complex for here. Suffice to say James Cosmo gives his finest performance.
HIGH School (John Stalberg) the only film I have ever seen at the EIFF that I have genuinely disliked. Dumb beyond dumb. I really hated this.

Honeymooner (Col Spector) unrequited love, what happens after, relationships, love and friendship.

Soul Boy (Hawa Essuman)...
"They took my soul...I'm lost, finished" says young Abi's father at the films start and so begins a most incredible journey...both physical and spiritual. A great example of contemporary African cinema.

Winters Bone (Debra Granik) whatever happened to Jennifer Lawrence?
Her breakout role here is all the evidence you need to explain why she has become one of the most recognisable film stars in the world. She is note perfect here.

Chase the Slut (Ryan Denmark) Chase (Vanessa Claire Smith) has to "test drive" a local boy that her...
...more well to do friend has an interest in. The problem is the boy is a good Christian lad. A funny, moving and affecting film from Romeo and Juliet vs The Living Dead director Denmark.

The Crab (Rona Mark) quite simply one of my favourite films of all time.
The Crab is profane, vulgar, moving, funny, strange and razor sharp. Mark is a fine director and The Crab should really have seen her move into a different league. That it didn't says more about the film industry than it does about her.
And that was my film Edinburgh International Film Festival experience ten years ago. I wonder what @HannahJMcGill @markcousinsfilm and @addzestDougie remember??
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