The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has unveiled the full industry programme for its upcoming edition, which will run from 13-19 August alongside the festival. Designed for UK and international film professionals, the expanded programme combines keynote conversations, practical industry talks, networking events and career development initiatives, reinforcing EIFF's ambition to position itself as the home of independent cinema in the UK.

The week-long programme brings together filmmakers, producers, distributors, exhibitors and other audiovisual professionals through a series of talks, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. Alongside access to press and industry screenings, accredited delegates will be able to attend daily networking brunches and networking drinks, creating additional opportunities for informal exchanges and new collaborations between established professionals and emerging talent.

Among this year's headline events are a series of In Conversation sessions with internationally renowned filmmakers and performers. Independent producer Christine Vachon – whose collaborations with directors including Todd Haynes, Céline Song, John Cameron Mitchell and Rose Troche have helped shape contemporary American independent cinema – will discuss her career with journalist Wendy Mitchell. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will reflect on a body of work spanning landmark historical series including The Civil War, The Vietnam War and the forthcoming The American Revolution, while Scottish actor Ewan McGregor will revisit a career stretching from Trainspotting to Moulin Rouge!, the Star Wars saga and recent television productions. Veteran actor Bruce Dern will also join the festival for a retrospective conversation covering more than six decades in cinema.

Practical industry development remains a central pillar of the programme. The Business of Film Roadshow brings together legal, finance and pitching experts to guide filmmakers through key stages of project development, featuring sessions led by film lawyer Alastair Mavor, financier James Cannon and producers Fiona Gillies and Christine Hartland. Hosted by BFI Filmmaking Fund director Mia Bays, the event is designed to provide emerging filmmakers with practical tools for navigating today's production landscape.

A major addition to this year's industry offering is the inaugural UK Film Conference, conceived as a one-day "state of the nation" gathering dedicated to the future of British independent cinema. Opening with a keynote conversation between BFI chief executive Ben Roberts and Picturehouse creative director Clare Binns, the conference will examine the challenges and opportunities facing the sector through discussions on low-budget production models, financing, development and audience engagement.

Several sessions address broader industry trends. Low Budget, High Ambition explores how producers are adapting to increasingly constrained financing environments, while Would This Get Made? invites leading industry figures, including Christine Vachon, representatives from Film4, BBC Film, Altitude and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, to reconsider how landmark British films such as Trainspotting, Four Weddings and a Funeral and If.... might navigate today's financing and distribution landscape.

Genre filmmaking also receives dedicated attention through New Nightmares, a panel examining the continued international success of British horror cinema with filmmakers including Prano Bailey-Bond, Max Minghella, Chee Keong Cheung and Joby Stephens. Elsewhere, Beyond the Debut, organised in partnership with the British Independent Film Awards' Springboard programme, focuses on the challenges filmmakers face in progressing from a first to a second feature.

The programme also explores literary adaptation through From Page to Screen, bringing together Sarah Brocklehurst and Miriam Battye (Extra Geography), alongside Jay Parini and Marc Turtletaub (Borges and Me), to discuss the creative process of bringing literary works to the screen. Meanwhile, Lights, Camera, Capital, presented by Screen Scotland, marks the launch of a new pilot initiative connecting angel investors with Scottish screen producers in an effort to unlock new sources of private investment for film and television development.

Reflecting wider conversations across the audiovisual sector, the programme concludes with Unmaking the Colonial Gaze in Cinema, a session led by filmmaker Paul Sng examining how contemporary filmmakers can move beyond critique to actively decolonise cinematic practice.