Among the many highlights of this year's Festival are new films from Shane Meadows, Werner Herzog, Wayne Wang and EIFF favourite Christopher Doyle.

Meadows will also appear as part of the In Person series of interviews, alongside cinematic luminaries such as local hero Brian Cox, legendary documentarian Errol Morris and special effects guru Ray Harryhausen.

The Festival is book-ended by a pair of highly anticipated World Premieres, John Maybury’s The Edge of Love and Vito Rocco’s comedy Faintheart.

The British Gala section also features the World Premiere of Stone of Destiny, charting the remarkable story of the 1950 theft of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey.

Other British Galas in competition for the Michael Powell Award include Meadows’ Somers Town, Oliver Blackburn’s startling Donkey Punch and the World Premiere of Matthew Thompson’s Dummy.

An equally impressive line-up of international film includes the UK Premiere of Sundance hit The Wackness, starring Sir Ben Kingsley. Irish comedian Dylan Moran makes his latest foray into film with the World Premiere of A Film with Me in It, which Artistic Director Hannah McGill describes as, “Shallow Grave meets Withnail & I.”

Cinematographers are celebrated at this year’s Festival, and among the legendary lensers slated to appear are Brian Tufano (Trainspotting), and 2008 Academy Award® rivals Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men) and Seamus McGarvey (Atonement) In Conversation.

EIFF favourite and award-winning cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, brings a true exclusive to the 62nd EIFF, with the World Premiere of his elegant thriller, Warsaw Dark.

It’s also an outstanding year for documentaries, with Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, James Marsh’s Man on Wire and Errol Morris’ devastating dissection of the Abu Ghraib scandal, Standard Operating Procedure, among the highlights.

The world-renowned Mirrorball strand continues to feature the finest music films and promos from around the globe, and this year has five feature documentaries, including the eagerly awaited Gorillaz feature Bananaz.

Allied to the cutting-edge cinema of the new Under the Radar strand, the experimental edge of Black Box and the family fun of Pixar’s Wall-E, there really is something for everyone at the 62nd EIFF.

Tickets go on sale from midday on Friday 9 May, and tickets can be booked in person, by phone (0131 623 8030) or online. See our Festival Info section for further information.