Ben Wheatley's BULK to world premiere at Edinburgh Film Festival

Hot on the heels of announcing its opening film, Sorry, Baby, the Edinburgh International Film Festival has revealed the film that will open its Midnight Madness strand: Ben Wheatley's new film BULK. 

EIFF's midnight audience will be the first in the world to see BULK, and it sounds like Wheatley is very happy to see his new work make its bow at the witching hour. "I’m very excited and proud to be premiering BULK at Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness," say the director. "This is a midnight film through and through. Car chases, gun fights, sci-fi and romance. Thanks to Edinburgh for having us. It’s going to be a wild night."

It's been a while since audiences have seen Wheatley in full-on indie film goblin mode. His last feature was the 2023 big budget CGI creature feature Meg 2: The Trench and he seemed like a strange fit for Netflix's 2020 Rebecca remake starring Lily James and Armie Hammer, but BULK sounds like the Kill List and Sightseers director will be back on more familiar ground. In the press release, EIFF says BULK sees Wheatley "return to the thrillingly free-spirited filmmaker’s homegrown, kaleidoscopic works In The Earth and A Field in England" but the festival is not giving too much else away. 

"I have been sworn on pain of death to not give too much away about BULK," says EIFF director Paul Ridd. "Suffice it to say this is a truly unique film that took our breath away then fried our brains. We could not think of a better way for us to launch the second year of Midnight Madness at EIFF than with a new trip from a true visionary of cinema. It is guaranteed to bring the house down in August."

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Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 14-20 Aug; BULK opens EIFF's Midnight Madness section and will screen in other slots throughout the festival