Edinburgh film festival honours Charlotte Rampling and 45 Years

THE Edinburgh International Film Festival has chosen 45 Years, starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, as the Michael Powell Award winner for best British feature film.

The jury described the film, which tells the story of a turbulent period in a relationship between a couple on the eve of their 45th wedding anniversary, as “a quietly explosive film which represents classic film-making at its best… a measured yet provocative film, a master class in understated acting.”

It is only the second full-length feature from director Andrew Haigh, who cut his teeth as an assistant on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

Rampling also picked up the award for best performance in a British film, which she shared with James Cosmo for his role as a retired boxer in The Pyramid Texts.

The Edinburgh Film Festival is a fortnight-long event, and the world’s longest established film festival, launched in 1947. It was originally part of the huge Edinburgh International Festival in August, but in 2008 was moved to June in an attempt to allow the event to further develop its own prestige without being overshadowed by the multitude of culture on show at the end of the summer.

The festival runs until Sunday June 28.