EXCLUSIVE: The 2025 edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s (EIFF) Midnight Madness strand will open with the world premiere screening of BULK, a new secretly shot feature from Ben Wheatley.
Produced by Andy Starke of Rook Films and financed by Film4, BULK is described as a “return to the thrillingly free-spirited filmmaker’s homegrown, kaleidoscopic works like In The Earth and A Field in England.” Executive producers for Film4 are Ollie Madden and David Kimbangi.
“I’m very excited and proud to be premiering BULK at Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness,” Wheatley said in a statement. “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.”
We know very little about the film’s plot or who stars, but EIFF CEO and Festival Director Paul Ridd described BULK as 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,” Ridd said. “It is guaranteed to bring the house down in August. Bring it on.”
This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival will run from 14-20 August. The Midnight Madness strand is the festival’s platform for new genre cinema. Previous EIFF Midnight Madness titles include Alien: Romulus and The Substance.
On BULK, Film4’s Madden added: “Ben Wheatley is one of a kind, and BULK is truly the result of his unique and brilliant filmmaking brain. It was an honour to work with him on this secret project, for which Midnight Madness at EIFF is the perfect launchpad. Can’t wait for it to surprise and delight audiences in the way it did us.”
