World Premiere of ‘Reality Is Not Enough’ to close EIFF 2025
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) will present 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 controversial 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, join the outspoken author as he takes on a wild new journey that explores the boundaries of consciousness through a hallucinogenic trip.
This captivating piece of autobiographical 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).
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.”
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.