What people are saying about the Expo fund
FESTIVALS EDINBURGH
Festivals Edinburgh profoundly welcomes the Scottish Government's important new Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and this important commitment to our Festivals and to their essential role in the national and international presentation and promotion of Scotland's artists and performing companies. This first year-long Edinburgh Festivals Expo programme is the single largest showcase of Scottish artists and work ever mounted, presented on the unrivalled international platform of Scotland's world-renowned Edinburgh Festivals.
With this significant Scottish Government support, Edinburgh's Festivals have worked individually and collectively to create a portfolio of unique, high quality and high profile showcase opportunities for Scottish companies and individual artists across all art forms, providing unrivalled international platforms for the presentation and promotion of the very best of Scottish work and the means by which that work can be taken on to venues, events, festivals and cultural institutions elsewhere in Scotland, the UK and internationally.
Faith Liddell
Director, Festivals Edinburgh
1. FILM FESTIVAL
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is thrilled to receive the Scottish Government's new Edinburgh Festivals Expo funding - particularly as the Festival is about to present it's first Film Festival in the new time period of June. Scottish talent is well showcased within an international context at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and thanks to the Expo fund we can bring the world to connect with Scottish talent here in Scotland. This is a huge opportunity and would not be possible without the Government's investment.
Hannah McGill
Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival
2. STORY TELLING
Scotland has an acclaimed role in the worldwide revival of live storytelling and the Edinburgh Festivals Expo fund will enable the Scottish International Storytelling Festival to link into events around the globe. In particular in 2008 the Storytelling Festival will launch its Northlands and Sagalands theme linking Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, England and Scotland. The Festival Expo fund boosts Scottish storytelling as both a traditional and a contemporary art, and brings Scotland's northern nations closer together in a shared celebration of heritage, humour and the fragile ecologies of nature and culture on which we all depend.
Donald Smith
Director, Scottish international Storytelling Festival
3. JAZZ
The Jazz Festival is thrilled to be able to present a Scottish Jazz Expo at
this year's Jazz Festival. This is a major step forward for the Festival, and
hopefully for the entire Scottish jazz scene, promoting the best in
Scotland on an international stage. We welcome the Government's Edinburgh Festivals Expo initiative and we are grateful for this important support.
Mike Hart
Founding Director, Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival
4. IMAGINATE
The Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival is delighted by the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. This will allow us to develop our work with some of the best and brightest talent working in performing arts for children and young people in Scotland and to build on the worldwide success we already enjoy.
Tony Reekie
Director, The Bank Of Scotland Imaginate Festival
5. ART FESTIVAL
The Edinburgh Art Festival welcomes the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund which will help support a programme of events to celebrate Scotland's homegrown talents. In 2008 the Art Festival will let everyone know about the dynamism and creative flair that is the Scottish visual art scene. The Art Festival is delighted and greatly encouraged by the Scottish Government's approach to supporting Edinburgh's Festivals and recognising the importance each Festival plays in supporting resident artistic communities.
Joanne Brown
Director, Edinburgh Art Festival
6. BOOK FESTIVAL
The Edinburgh Festivals Expo fund is highly welcomed additional funding which allows the Book Festival to expand and extend a vital area of it's work, promoting the strength, diversity and excellence of Scottish literature at home and abroad. It is extremely exciting that we can now, thanks to the Expo fund, commission, tour and publish contemporary Scottish writers in addition to showcasing their work in the biggest and most international celebration of words and ideas in the world.
Catherine Lockerbie
Director, Edinburgh International Book Festival
7. MELA
I am absolutely delighted that The Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund will allow us to profile artists and companies who represent Scotland's diverse cultures and allow us to commission innovative and exciting performances over the coming years.
Liam Sinclair
Director, The Edinburgh Mela Festival
8. EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
I welcome this ambitious and creative new Edinburgh Festivals Expo fund, which helps us to further our mission to present world class Scottish work to an international audience. The fund is an important demonstration of the Scottish Government's support of and commitment to Edinburgh's Festivals, and of its recognition of the role we all play in presenting Scotland to the world.
Jonathan Mills
Edinburgh International Festival Director.
9. FESTIVAL FRINGE
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is delighted that the Scottish Government has offered
such generous support to the Fringe through the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. The Fringe is a massive success story for Edinburgh and for Scotland. It attracts an annual audience of 1.7 million people from Scotland and abroad and is renowned throughout the world. However, as cities around the world increasingly recognise the value of setting up and supporting festivals, the Fringe needs this kind of investment so it can remain both the leading fringe festival and the world's largest arts festival. The support from the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund will allow the Fringe to work in partnership with the Federation of Scottish Theatre and Scottish Arts Council to encourage and support performing artists based in Scotland to present their best and most ambitious work at the Fringe and to increase opportunities for them to tour their work overseas.
Jon Morgan
Director, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
10. WINTER FESTIVALS
Edinburgh's Hogmanay warmly welcomes the announcement of the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, designed to help showcase Scottish artists and performing companies. Edinburgh's Hogmanay is, of course, the perfect time and place to showcase Scottish creative talent, as a huge international audience descends on Scotland's capital for the World's Best New Year celebrations. Hogmanay should be a uniquely Scottish celebration and we are delighted that the fund will assist us in providing world-class, Scottish-originated entertainment to a huge global audience.
J P Murphy
Festivals Manager, Edinburgh's Winter Festivals
11. SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Twenty years ago Scotland introduced to the world a whole new way of
engaging the public with popular science - the Edinburgh International
Science Festival. This formula has been copied the world over and we remain a leader amongst this new breed of Festival. I am delighted that through the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festivals EXPO fund, we will be able to programme major new events that will help us tell the story of Scotland's astounding abilities in the areas of science, technology, innovation and enterprise.
Simon Gage
Director, Edinburgh International Science Festival
12. MILITARY TATTOO
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is delighted with the announcement of the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund from the Scottish Government and see this as a tremendous opportunity to enhance and strengthen the tattoo as a platform for exciting Scottish talent and as one of the main pillars of the Edinburgh Festivals.
Euan Louden, Director, Edinburgh Military Tattoo
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