This year’s Edinburgh Film Festival is particularly exciting for writer-director Alex Barrett.

Not only does his debut feature, Life Just Is, receive its World Premiere at the festival on 23 June.

But it’s also in competition for the Michael Powell Award for best British film, alongside James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer, Penny Woolcock’s One Mile Away, and Peter Strickland’s Berberian Studio Sound.

Life Just Is follows a tight-knit group of university graduates as they try to find their way in the world.

The film’s cast includes Nathaniel Martello-White (Misfits), Jack Gordon (Panic Button), Jayne Wisener (Jayne Eyre), and Paul Nicholls (Law & Order: UK).

Click the videos to see director Alex Barrett on his indie and arthouse influences, the challenges of filmmaking, and future plans including a spin-off web series.

And watch the film’s executive and assistant producers, Christine Hartland and Roland Holmes, talk about success at Cannes, hopes for Edinburgh, and what makes Life Just Is stand out from the cinematic crowd.