Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced the World Premiere of Paul Sng’s immersive documentary Reality Is Not Enough as the Closing Night film of this year’s Festival.
From filmmaker Paul Sng (Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, Tish) comes a thrilling and revealing exploration of Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, one of the most provocative writers of our times.
Irvine Welsh is at a crossroads in his life. After finding huge success with several film adaptations and six million books sold worldwide, he has become acutely aware of his mortality. Now, with his hedonistic days drawing to a close, the outspoken author takes a wild journey that explores the boundaries of consciousness through a hallucinogenic trip.
This captivating piece of biographical filmmaking combines intimate observational footage, rare archive film clips and readings from his novels narrated by Liam Neeson (Batman Begins, Star Wars), Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything, Shameless), musician Nick Cave, Ruth Negga (Ad Astra, Passing) and Stephen Graham (Adolescence, The Irishman).
Reality Is Not Enough was co-financed and produced by Edinburgh-based production company LS Films, with the support of Screen Scotland, and with Sarah Drummond serving as Executive Producer. With a growing slate of distinctive original content, LS Films champions bold storytelling from underrepresented voices. The company’s involvement in this intimate and hallucinatory portrait of Irvine Welsh reinforces its commitment to creative risk-taking and its deep connection to the cultural fabric of Scotland.
Reality Is Not Enough will be released in the UK by Kaleidoscope.
Edinburgh International Film Festival will run from 14-20 August 2025. Building on EIFF’s reinvigorated vision under new leadership from CEO and Festival Director Paul Ridd and Festival Producer Emma Boa, the Festival will continue to accelerate the discovery of new film talent and engage with audiences, industry members and local, national and international media.
Paul Ridd, CEO and Festival Director of EIFF, has said: “We were so impressed by this brilliantly immersive and fascinating documentary about iconic Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. Director Paul Sng’s refreshingly unusual and highly cinematic approach perfectly fits his subject, a man who has spent an entire career refusing to be pinned down, always surprising us with works of profound impact, rawness and grace. We could not think of a better way to round off our Festival than with this terrific film.”
Filmmaker Paul Sng, has said: “I'm completely delighted that Reality is Not Enough has been chosen to close this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. When I read Trainspotting as a teenager in London back in the nineties, I had no idea I would one day live in the city where the book is set, let alone make a film with its author, Irvine Welsh. Having our World Premiere in our home city is a huge honour and we're looking forward immensely to sharing the film with the EIFF audience.”
Sarah Drummond, Executive Producer and Managing Director at LS Films, said: “I grew up in North Edinburgh during the era that shaped so much of Irvine’s writing, so helping bring this intimate portrait of the man behind the books to the screen has been something truly special. Reality Is Not Enough is raw and unexpectedly tender—and it’s been a privilege to make it here, in the city that connects us both.”
Helmed by CEO and Festival Director Paul Ridd and Festival Producer Emma Boa, the Festival team aims to create a world-class showcase for independent film and filmmaking talent. Ridd is supported by the EIFF Board, led by Chair Andrew Macdonald of DNA Films, producer of the iconic Edinburgh-based film Trainspotting; and Vice Chair Amy Jackson, producer of BAFTA award-winning indie, Aftersun; as well as Peter Rice, former Chairman of General Entertainment at Disney and President of 21st Century Fox; Teresa Moneo, Director of UK Film, Netflix; Isla Macgillivray, Partner at Saffrey; and Romana Ramzan, Producer at No Code Studio.
More information will be released on the 2025 Festival in the coming weeks.
The full programme for the 78th edition of Edinburgh International Film Festival will launch on 2 July 2025.
EIFF 2025 is supported by Screen Scotland.
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Image credits: Chris McCluskie