Reprieved Edinburgh film festival announces opening film

Debut feature Silent Roar, a teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire' takes the gala slot, marking a remarkable turnaround for the festival which appeared doomed to closure last October

The Edinburgh international film festival has announced the opening film for its 2023 edition, months after the shock news that the long-running event's existence was in doubt after its organisers, Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), shut down abruptly in October and called in administrators.

The festival's high-profile opening gala slot has been handed to Silent Roar, the debut feature from director Johnny Barrington, produced by The Inbetweeners Movie's Christopher Young. Described by the festival as a teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire", Silent Roar was filmed on the remote community of Uig, on Lewis in Scotland's Western Isles and stars Louis McCartney and Ella Lily Hyland.