Edinburgh Film Festival’s Midnight Madness Strand to Close With ‘The Substance’

Edinburgh Film Festival’s Midnight Madness Strand to Close With ‘The Substance’

The Edinburgh Film Festival’s Midnight Madness strand will conclude with the screening of the body horror film “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore.

“The Substance,” directed by Coralie Fargeat, received a nine-minute standing ovation at Cannes. The film also features Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid in a thriller that serves as a sharp satire on female body standards and the toxic beauty myth.

The UK premiere of “The Substance” will take place at EIFF on Aug. 20, with additional details about its theatrical release to be announced by MUBI soon. The full program for the event, which runs from Aug. 15-20, will be revealed on July 10.

EIFF director Paul Ridd expressed his excitement for closing the Midnight Madness strand with Fargeat’s film, stating the unique sensory experience the movie offers. The festival’s brand new Midnight Madness strand is set to run throughout the event in August.

Additionally, EIFF confirmed that its opening night film will be Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir, “The Outrun,” starring Saoirse Ronan. The festival’s short film competition is named The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence, in honor of Schoonmaker’s celebrated work as an editor on iconic films such as “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Goodfellas.”