Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest

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Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest, Edinburgh's one and only annual documentary film festival, returns on the 25th April to the historic Cameo Cinema.

About Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest

Listed Under Film Events / Nights Out Events

The Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest 2025 is coming this spring to The Cameo Cinema with a rich program. Taking place on the 25th of April, the annual documentary film festival will screen short and feature films from around the world.

This year’s documentaries navigate the themes of identity, relationships and family bonds, social issues and personal challenges. Featuring seven films by independent filmmakers from seven different countries, the EDDF2025 celebrates diversity and becomes a place of expression for as many voices as possible.

This year’s feature film is Martijn van de Griendt's ‘The Holy Trinity’. The Dutch filmmaker captures Alex Sophie, Emma and Robbie, three friends from Eindhoven, during the summer of their high school graduation year. A coming-of-age film that explores friendship, loss and insecurity.

With the Short Docs selection we travel from Italy and Germany to Estonia Iceland, the United Kingdom and Greece. The programme opens with Francesco D'Ascenzo's 'The Father's Place', which tells the story of a father-son complicated relationship, James C Thompson's 'Paula Says Hi', builds an intimate portrait of disabled, gender-fluid cosplayer Paul/Paula while Maros Pulscak's 'Backstage Bardo' presents the daily life of morgue workers.

Travel to Berlin with Wolfgang Friedrich Müller's 'Berlin: Everything's-Changed Place' and follow the journey of Peruvian Cumbia with 'When Cumbia is On' by Paz Gonzales.

The Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest is moving to April entering the city's spring cultural agenda. We can't wait to welcome you all. See you at the EDDF2025!

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM
18.00 - 19.15

The Holy Trinity, Martijn van de Griendt' • 70' • Netherlands • 2024 Feature-Length Documentary
A coming-of-age film about three friends from Eindhoven, the Netherlands: Alex Sophie, Emma and Robbie. Three emo kids aged 15 and 16, going through the main developmental stage of life, on their way to adulthood. The camera intimately shows their boldness and strength, but also the vulnerability of the three best friends.

**Break: 19.15 - 19.30

SHORT DOCS
19:30 - 21:05

The Father's Place, Francesco/D'Ascenzo • 20' • Italy • 2023 • Short Documentary Competition
Antonio, after many years of separation, lives with his father, Rosario, a well-known boss of the Neapolitan underworld who has recently been freed after 30 years in jail. The two try to get to know each other. Father and son confront each other between the shadows of the past and the hopes for a future together.

Berlin. Everything's-changed Place, Wolfgang Friedrich Müller • 18' • Germany • 2023 Experimental Documentary Competition
On the construction site, the steam hammer is heaving. As early as the 1920s, the underground was being built at Berlin's Alexanderplatz. Alfred Döblin's metropolitan novel underpins the images of today's Alex. Fiction and documentation seem inseparable. The construction site itself becomes a stage and even transforms into a media production.

Backstage Bardo, Maros Pulscak • 14' • Estonia • 2023 • Student Documentary Competition
Backstage Bardo is a short documentary film that takes viewers on a unique journey into the daily life of morgue workers. The challenges of dealing with death are conveyed through an intimate, up-close perspective that offers insight into a world that is often shrouded in obscurity and misconception.

Paula Says Hi, James C Thompson •14' • Iceland, United Kingdom • 2023 • Short Documentary Competition
A personal and intimate portrait of disabled, gender-fluid cosplayer Paul/Paula. Inviting us into her world, Paula lives life to the full, embracing her passion for cosplay and sci-fi conventions. Paul offers his intimate thoughts on accepting their disability and the joy of gender euphoria.

Make Love, Not Porn, Peter Looles • 7' • Greece • 2024 • Student Documentary Competition
Against the stereotypes of the “ideal” woman and the symbols of Pornography, the women in the works of Greek comic artist Stavros Kioutsioukis preserve their personality: they are the girls next door who try and get their rights in Happiness and Love.

When Cumbia is, On Paz Gonzales• 15' • United Kingdom • 2024 • Scottish Production Competition
When Cumbia is On" follows the journey of Peruvian Cumbia as it transcends its Latin American origins to find a new home in Scotland. Through the stories of South American musicians like Sandino, Chile, and Franco, the film explores how this vibrant genre becomes a bridge for reconnecting with their cultural roots, offering a sense of belonging in a foreign land.

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