Film ‘pioneer’ who was first woman to direct festival given Bafta honour

A Scottish “pioneer and champion of film” who became the first woman to direct a film festival has been named as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Bafta Scotland outstanding contribution to film award.

Lynda Myles, the film producer, curator, writer and former director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), is being honoured in recognition of the “lasting legacy” of a career that has spanned more than 60 years.

In 1973 she became director of the EIFF, and during her eight-year tenure she is credited with transforming the festival into a “mecca of discovery”.

This included championing the work of overlooked auteurs like Alfred Hitchcock and Sam Fuller, providing a global platform for many female film-makers from the era, and, in 1972, initiating a series of debates and screenings called The Woman’s Event – the first ever event devoted to women and film-making.

After leaving the EIFF in 1980, Myles went on to produce a number of highly acclaimed films, including 1991 Bafta best picture The Commitments, and also Defence of The Realm, and The Snapper And The Van – both of which were directed by Stephen Frears.

After learning she had been chosen for the award, Myles said: “I’m deeply touched to be this year’s recipient of the Bafta Scotland outstanding contribution to film award.

“I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to run the Edinburgh International Film Festival in the 70s and that experience shaped all my future involvement with different aspects of the industry.

“I’ve enjoyed so many collaborative relationships on which the film industry thrives, and am so grateful for the fantastic support I’ve received. Huge thanks to Bafta Scotland for this honour, which I’m delighted to accept.”

Jude MacLaverty, director of Bafta Scotland, said: “Lynda Myles has been a pioneer and champion of film for over 60 years. Her expansive career has seen her assume many roles, from film producer to curator, commissioner and of course festival director.

“A true inspiration, her appointment as the first ever female director of a film festival anywhere in the world helped paved the way for many women in the industry and beyond that her passion for and commitment to critical debate and thinking had a significant impact on filmmaking, encouraging filmmakers to reconsider what film is and can be.

“We are honoured to present Lynda with the Bafta Scotland outstanding contribution to film award at our special event on August 19 and to celebrate her lasting legacy.”

Myles has occupied a number of senior positions in the film and television industry, including senior vice-president at Columbia Pictures and commissioning editor for drama at the BBC.

In 2004 she became head of fiction at the National Film and Television School, where she mentored some of today’s most innovative new directors.

Myles is also credited with influencing the language used to talk about film, with her co-authored book The Movie Brats, about the generation of directors who transformed Hollywood in the 1970s, coining a phrase that is now part of the movie lexicon.

Paul Ridd, who was appointed director of the EIFF earlier this year, acknowledged Myles’s enduring influence on the annual festival.

“Since coming into post earlier this year I spent time meeting with former directors of Edinburgh International Film Festival, including Lynda Myles,” he said.

“Lynda is a force of nature and someone whose extensive involvement and tireless work with the festival has left an indelible mark on its history and its legacy. I felt inspired and energised by our meeting and I am so thrilled Bafta Scotland will be honouring her this year.”

The Bafta Scotland outstanding contribution to film award is presented each year to an individual or organisation that has made a significant and inspiring contribution to film through a particular project or work.

It will be presented to Myles at a special event at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh on August 19, during the 2024 Edinburgh International Film Festival – which runs August 15-21.

The Bafta Scotland awards ceremony takes place on November 17 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central.