Film - EIFF Closing Gala

Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced that the hotly-anticipated British comedy Swimming with Men, will close the 72nd edition of the Festival on Sunday 1st July...

Directed by BAFTA nominated Oliver Parker (Dorian Gray, An Ideal Husband) and starring Rob Brydon, Adeel Akhtar, Jim Carter, Rupert Graves, Daniel Mays, Charlotte Riley, Thomas Turgoose with Jane Horrocks and Nathaniel Parker, Swimming with Men is set to be a feel-good summer hit.

Faced with a full-blown mid-life crisis, accountant Eric (Brydon) joins an all-male group of synchronised swimmers and discovers that making patterns in a pool can, for a couple of hours at least, give him escapism from the bumps in his work and marriage. Initially keeping their personal lives in the locker, the ramshackle squad and coach Susan slowly begin to reveal their inner lives, as well as their paunches. But can they get their routines, not to mention their lives, in sync as they embark on an unlikely journey to Milan to compete in the World Championship?

Rob Brydon and Oliver Parker are expected to attend alongside other cast and filmmakers.

Mark Adams, Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival commented: “Swimming with Men is a classic British comedy delight packed with a series of quite wonderful performances. It is the perfect film to wrap up a Festival that prides itself on celebrating all that is great about British filmmaking.”

Director Oliver Parker added: “It’s such an honour and a real pleasure to be having our UK premiere as the closing film at Edinburgh International Film Festival. I can’t think of a better place for our intrepid swimmers to take the plunge.”

Following its UK premiere at the Festival, distributor Vertigo Releasing will be releasing Swimming with Men on 6th July, 2018. Tickets for the Closing Gala are now on sale through the EIFF website.

The full programme of the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival will be announced by EIFF Artistic Director, Mark Adams, on Wednesday 23 May. Tickets go on sale to Filmhouse members on Wednesday 23 May at 12noon and on sale to the public on Friday 25 May at 10am.

The 72nd edition of EIFF runs from 20 June - 1 July, 2018. For more information on this year’s Festival visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk.