Distinctly Scottish: Fiercely International in 2022
The Edinburgh Festivals are a global beacon, showcasing the best of the world’s creativity and providing forums for international debate, recognised by national and international partners as enlightened centres in a troubled world. Now more than ever, this role is crucial as we play our part in helping to understand the future landscape of Scotland, Europe and the world. So here are ten countries with a strong presence at our festivals during August 2022.
Ukraine
Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv, and it should come as no surprise that, In a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war, Ukraine has a strong presence at this year’s festivals. Highlights include the Edinburgh International Festival partnering with the Scottish Government to welcome the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a historic free concert at the Usher Hall; the 13-strong Freedom Ballet collective will be taking to the stage at the EICC, after male performers were given special permission by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture to leave the country and perform at the Fringe; the appearance at the Book Festival of Serhii Plokhy, Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard, in conversation with Alan Little, former BBC Moscow correspondent; and at the Film Festival, we have Valentyn Vasyanovych’s feature Reflection [Vidblysk] about a Ukrainian surgeon Serhiyis captured by the Russian military forces in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine.
Canada
Canada and Scotland share cultural ties that span centuries. Indeed, there is no denying the rich imprint the people of Scotland have left on the cultural fabric of that wide and diverse country. Therefore, there’s no better place to showcase some of Canada’s top performing arts talent than at the international stage of the Edinburgh Festivals. Amongst the shows are - The Book of Life by Odile Gakire ‘‘Kiki’’ Katese at the Edinburgh International Festival, a poignant play based on Kiki’s project of accumulating letters written by survivors and perpetrators of Rwanda’s genocide; Montreal-based Les Foutoukours, marking their 25th anniversary in 2022, premiere their international hit show Brotipo at the Fringe; at the Edinburgh Art Festival, First Nations artist Nadia Myre explores indigenous storytelling and migratory routes through print, performance and sound; while at the Book Festival, Quebec-based novelist Kim Thúy discusses her novel Em, a sensitive portrait of children swept up in the Vietnam War.
Ireland
Over many decades, Edinburgh in August has always been an important milestone for many Irish artists, marking their first international appearance or returning to capitalise on their previous achievements. Amongstthe highlights this year are - the legendary Irish theatre company Druid with their show The Last Return at the Traverse Theatre as part of the Fringe; while at the Book Festival, there’s a huge range of Irish writers including Colm Toibin, Claire Keegan and Anne Enright; one of the world’s most celebrated fiddle players brings a new project to the Edinburgh International Festival, cherry picking some of his favourite musicians as the core players in the Common Ground Ensemble performing in Leith Theatre; and Nothing Compares at the Film Festival is a insightful documentary focussing on an intense five year period in the life of musician Sinead O’Connor.
Mexico
Mexican artists have had a strong presence at the festivals over the last decade and this year will see further artistic engagement including, amongst others - Banda Monumental de Mexico is back and set to light up the stage with dramatic new ‘Day of the Dead’ vision at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, having been formed exclusively for the 2018 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo by the Organizacion Cultural de Intercambios Internacionales México; at the Fringe iconic Becoming Chavela is a docu-cabaret performance of iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas set within the art world and social milieu of mid-century Mexico City; and the Sundance award winning Dos Estaciones at the Film Festival tells the story of 50-year-old businesswoman María García, the owner of the eponymous, Mexican-owned tequila factory as she struggles to keep the busy afloat.
Australia
A diverse group of Australian performing artists will make up the largest contingent ever to attend the Edinburgh Festivals in our 75-year history, many being part of the UK/Australia Season. Amongst the shows are - the Edinburgh International Festival’s spectacular free opening event Macro, a partnership with the Adelaide Festival, sees acclaimed Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths joined by First Nations dance company Djuki Mala; at the Fringe, House of Oz is an all-Australian showcase for all forms of creative and artistic expression, including the infamous Haus Party, a monster cult hit in the nighttime slot on the Aussie festival circuit; one of Australia’s most exciting, inventive and prolific writers, Helen Garner, appears at the Book Festival; and for his feature debut, David Easteal has crafted a formally daring film, The Plains, which offers a unique examination of contemporary Australian society at the Film Festival.
France
The Auld Alliance is alive and well at this year’s festivals. Amongst the highlights are - pioneering Paris-based orchestra Les Siècles at the Edinburgh International Festival performing Stravinsky’s ground-breaking The Rite of Spring as his Parisian audience would have heard it at its premiere in 1913; the Institut français d’Écosse presenting 11th edition of Vive le Fringe! including Christine Bovill with her latest show “Paris, From Piaf to Pop”; the UK premiere at the Film Festival of delightful French dramedy Three Times Nothing [Trois Fois Rien] with Director Nadège Loiseau meeting audiences in a post-screening Q&A; and the world premiere of a major touring production at the Book Festival of Faïza Guène’s book Discretion, about the impact of the Algerian war for independence from France.
Japan
Over the last decade there has been a strong Japanese presence at the August festivals and 2022 is no different. The shows on offer include - a major retrospective at the Film Festival of the work of performer and film director Kinuyo Tanaka (1909-1977) who played an essential role in the history of Japanese cinema, with the selected films all seen through the lives of the country’s female citizens; meanwhile at the Fringe we have JalJal, the King of Comedy in Japan, popular on Japanese TV and with several international shows under their belts, plus Kuniko Kato - one of the world's leading percussion virtuosos – in a tour de force performance of the work which is widely considered musical minimalism's first masterpiece; and at the Book Festival, award-winning novelist Mieko Kawakami talks about her latest book and tests the maxim that if women told the truth about their lives the world would split open.
Netherlands
Many of our festivals have strong links with counterparts in the Netherlands, leading to a cross pollination of work between our two countries. Amongst the highlights this year are - Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA), one of Europe’s most important theatre companies under the visionary directorship of Ivo van Hove, taking up residence at the Edinburgh International Festival for two epic adaptations; Dutch visual artist Jeanne van Heeswijk locates her commission for Wester Hailes in the context of her wider practice, and offers an insight into the Community Wellbeing Collective which presents its first iteration as part of the Art Festival’s commissions programme; while Oeke Hoogendijk brings her colourful documentary Licht to the Film Festival, following the turbulent production of the Dutch National Opera’s interpretation of Stockhausen’s magnum opus opera cycle
Korea
With Korean popular culture in the midst of a Western boom, there is a strong showing of work from the peninsula, continuing its tradition of taking largely non-vocal performance pieces beyond language. There’s a pop-up cultural centre branded Korea House where you can enjoy many Korean cultural activities during your stay in Edinburgh. Korea House will also be hosting some screenings of performing arts events supported by Seoul Arts Centre; you can take a K-pop walking tour through Edinburgh, teaming up with the Silent Adventures team to dance through places in the city that share a connection with Korea; the Fringe highlights include the family-friendly puppet show about outer space Mary, Chris, Mars, and contemporary dance show Are You Guilty? which explores the bystander effect; and the Film Festival hosts the UK premiere of Special Delivery with Parasite star Park So-dam excelling as black-market cabbie Eun-ha, driving criminals at breakneck speed.
USA
You’ll hear American accents everywhere at this year’s festivals, on stage as much as in our audience. There's so much to choose from and highlights include - one of America’s most accomplished, exciting musical ensembles, The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by the brilliant conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, taking up residence at the Edinburgh International Festival across four concerts; joining fellow Americans from the United States Air Force, the talented United States Army Field Band will take to the iconic Castle Esplanade for their Tattoo debut; a myriad of US performers are at the Fringe including, the return of the iconic American comedian and actress Janeane Garofalo, following multiple sell-out runs; and the UK premiere of filmaker Kogonada's After Yang, starring Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith will be the closing gala night at the Film Festival.
___________________________________________________________________________
Those are only 10 of the c70 countries represented at our August Festivals, with another 10 country highlights being;
- Switzerland’s The Top Secret Drum Corps at the Tattoo
- Danish showcase at the Fringe
- Brasil film director Flávia Neves presents the UK premiere of Fogaréu at the Film Festival
- Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra at the International Festival
- Tanzanian Nobel Prize for Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah at the Book Festival
- Italy Showcase at the Fringe
- Philippines Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa at the Book Festival
- Belgian Selection at the Fringe
- Pakistan’s Grammy Award winning Arooj Aftab at the International Festival
- UK premiere of Indian director Abhinandan Banerjee’s The Cloud and the Man at the Film Festival