We are delighted to announce that William Friedkin will take part in an extended career Q&A with EIFF Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara, after the screening of The French Connection on Tuesday 19 June.

Mr Friedkin will be in town for the UK premiere of his new film Killer Joe, which is the Edinburgh International Film Festival Opening Gala on 20 June.

Best known for directing The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), for which he won the Academy Award® for Best Director, Friedkin’s career spans over four decades and thirty films. In 2006 he was awarded the FIPRESCI prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Bug. The extended Q&A will allow audience members a unique opportunity to listen to Friedkin discuss his extraordinary career and films.