Variety

LONDON — David MacKenzie’s “Hallam Foe” will open this year’s Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival, which runs Aug. 15-26.

“Hallam Foe,” which won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in February, stars Jamie Bell as a peeping tom who haunts the Edinburgh rooftops, obsessed with a woman (Sophia Myles) who reminds him of his dead mother.

Produced by Glasgow-based Gillian Berrie and based on a Scottish novel by Peter Jinks, it was a natural choice for artistic director Hannah McGill to kick off her first festival.

“‘Hallam Foe’ is a stunning achievement by all concerned — a film with an unforgettable atmosphere and some of the finest performances of the year,” McGill commented.

Pic will be distributed by Buena Vista Intl. in the U.K., and Magnolia Pictures in the U.S. BVI’s U.K. managing director Robert Mitchell said, ” ‘Hallam Foe’ presents a beautiful vision of Edinburgh and is crafted by one of Scotland’s most respected filmmakers.”