Glasgow Film Festival

Glasgow Film Festival
LocationGlasgow, Scotland
Founded2005
Most recent2024
DirectorsAllison Gardner (since 2007), Allan Hunter (stepped down 2023)
Festival date28 February 2024 (2024-02-28) − 10 March 2024 (2024-03-10)
Websiteglasgowfilm.org/festival

The Glasgow Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Glasgow, Scotland. The festival began in 2005. By 2015, the festival had seen audience figures top 40,000 for two consecutive years. It is now considered one of the top film festivals in the UK.

Profile

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The Glasgow Film Festival was launched in 2005 and initially based in the Glasgow Film Theatre. The event focused on non-mainstream cinema and treated the audience as the main guests, quickly earning a title of one of the friendliest film festivals in the world. From less than 5,000 in 2005, attendance grew up to 40,000 in 2013.[1] By 2015, the festival had already been considered one of the top three film festivals in the UK.[2] As the festival grew and developed, it expanded to other venues; in 2017, special screenings were hosted by an indoor real snow ski slope.[3]

The festival's main and only prize is the Audience Award,[4] sponsored by MUBI. Another section is FrightFest, a selection of horror films programmed by the London-based horror film festival.[5][1] The programme also includes the free morning retrospective screenings.[6][7]

The festival has its industry section that provides networking opportunities and hosts various master-classes and events.[5] For example, in 2024, it offered live animation project pitching session with a £5,000 funding prize.[6]

Since 2006, the festival has been directed by Allison Gardner.[7] In 2023, her long-time co-director Allan Hunter stepped down, succeeded by Chris Kumar.[6]

Editions

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2008

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In 2008, the festival took place between 14–24 February. The programme included exclusive premieres as well as a Bette Davis retrospective.[8]

2009

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The 2009 event featured an Audrey Hepburn retrospective and a birthday tribute to Errol Flynn.

2010

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In 2010, the festival took place between 18–28 February. From over 800 submissions received by the organisers, 120 features were selected for the festival programme. The opening gala featured Jean-Pierre Jeunet's latest film, Micmacs with the director there to present the film. Other guests included Peter Mullan, James Earl Jones and the cast of Scottish classic, Gregory's Girl. Oscar nominated Crazy Heart was also shown, prior to the general release date. Also included a Cary Grant retrospective, as well as strands focusing on Japanese Cinema, Fashion and Music and film.[9]

In 2010, a Margaret Tait award for experimental and innovative filmmaking was launched, coming with a £10,000 commission for the winner's next project.[9]

2011

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The 7th edition ran from 16 to 26 February 2012. It featured The Gene Kelly: Strictly Song and Dance retrospective, marking the centenary of his birth.[10] More than 250 films were shown, including You Instead and The Eagle premieres.[11]

2012

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The 8th edition took place from 16 to 26 February, featuring 7 world and 21 UK premieres.[12] The closing gala featured Le Havre, This Must Be the Place, The Kid with a Bike, etc. The FrightFest highlights included The Raid and The Day.[13]

2013

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The 2013 edition ran from 14-24 February,[14] featuring 368 film screenings and 57 UK film premieres.[15]

2014

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With the festival lasting 11 days from February 18 to March 1, GFF 10th edition admission figures topped 40,000.[16] The programme featured 60 UK premieres and seven world premieres.[17] The festival's pop-up events were hosted at various locations throughout the city, including the Briggait and the Tall Ship.[18] The 10th edition was so successful that the managers decided to add one more day for the next year.[19]

2015

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The 11th Glasgow Film Festival ran from 18 February to 1 March.[20] 2015's festival featured 174 events, including 11 world premieres, 33 UK premieres and 65 Scottish premieres. The festival introduced its first award — The Audience Award, won by Tom Browne's Radiator.[2] The attendance reached 35,000.[21]

2016

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In 2016, the festival took place 17-28 February.[22] The edition featured 174 feature films, including 60 UK premieres. Admissions reached 42,000. The Audience Award was won by Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang.[23]

2017

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The 13th edition took place from 15 to 26 February.[24] In 2017, the festival attained over 40,000 admissions for the fourth consecutive year. Featuring 180 films from 38 countries with more than 65 UK premieres, programme highlights included Elle, I Am Not Your Negro, Free Fire and a screening of John Carpenter's The Thing on an indoor ski slope.[25][26] Empire Magazine presented a special screening of The Lost Boys as a secret location.[27] The Audience Award was won by Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha.[28]

2018

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The 14th edition took place from 21 February to 4 March, 2018, with more than 300 premieres, screenings and events planned.[29] However, the 2018 edition of the festival was nearly ruined by the British Isles cold wave. For several days, only the locals could attend the events.[1]

2020

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The 16th edition took place from 26 February to 8 March, 2020.[30] The programme includes nine world premieres and 102 UK premieres.[31][32] Film-opening Proxima by Alice Winocour.[30]

2023

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The 2023 edition was held from March 1 to 12. The 19th edition of the festival screened 123 features, including six world premieres, 16 European and international premieres and 70 UK premieres. The festival opened with Adura Onashile’s Glasgow-shot feature debut Girl, and closed with Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society.[33]

2024

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The 20th anniversary edition was held from 28 February to 10 March, 2024. This year's feature submissions exceeded 400.[6] The line-up featured 11 world and international premieres, including İlker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, Giacomo Abbruzzese’s Disco Boy, and the opening film was Rose Glass's Love Lies Bleeding.[5]

Audience Award

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In 2015, GFF introduced its only award, the Audience Award. Films eligible for the award are usually from first or second time directors and can be either fiction or documentary. The award is voted for by attendees with the winner announced at the closing gala of the festival.

Year Film Filmmaker Ref
2015 Radiator Tom Browne [2]
2016 Mustang Deniz Gamze Ergüven [23]
2017 Lipstick Under My Burkha Alankrita Shrivastava [28]
2018 Custody (Jusqu'à la garde) Xavier Legrand [34]
2019 Harry Birrell: Films of Love and War Matt Pinder [35]
2020 Arracht Tomás Ó Súilleabháin [36]
2021 Sweetheart Marley Morrison [37]
2022 The Hermit of Treig Lizzie MacKenzie [38]
2023 Riceboy Sleeps Anthony Shim [39]
2024 The Home Game Smári Gunnarsson and Logi Sigursveinsson [40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c McLean, Pauline (28 February 2024). "Glasgow Film Festival: A look back at the past 20 years". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Glasgow Film Festival 2015 hailed as best ever, with 40k tickets sold". Sunday Herald. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Ski slope hosts Glasgow Film Festival screening". BBC. 24 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival". Film Freeway. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Boyce, Laurence (28 February 2024). "Glasgow Film Festival begins its 20th edition". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Tabarra, Mona (28 February 2024). ""We are a lean, mean, running machine": How Glasgow Film Festival is packing a punch". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b Coe, Oliver (7 December 2023). "Glasgow Film Festival to celebrate 20th birthday". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  8. ^ http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_on_tv/video.html?vxSiteId=60fdd544-9c52-4e17-be7e-57a2a2d76992&vxChannel=Culture%20On%20Screen&vxClipId=1380_SMG1748&vxBitrate=300[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ a b "Glasgow film festival launched". BBC. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival set for Gene Kelly retrospective". BBC. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Film festival kicks off in Glasgow". News Scotland. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  12. ^ McPartlin, Patrick (15 February 2012). "Glasgow Film Festival 2012: The highlights". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival 2012". Glasgow Guardian. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  14. ^ "2013 Glasgow Film Festival to show 57 UK premieres". BBC. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  15. ^ McLean, Pauline (17 January 2013). "2013 Glasgow Film Festival to show 57 UK premieres". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  16. ^ Miller, Phil (8 March 2014). "Glasgow Film Festival plans to expand after record year". The Herald. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Scarlett Johansson cruising Glasgow in a van trying to pick up men". BBC. 20 February 2014. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival marks 10 years". BBC. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival celebrates its 'best year'". BBC. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Alan Rickman to attend Glasgow Film Festival". BBC. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  21. ^ McLean, Pauline (27 February 2012). "Glasgow film festival is box office hit". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival: Free entry to 'dream team' shows". BBC. 18 November 2015. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  23. ^ a b Kermode, Jennie (28 February 2016). "Mustang Wins Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award". Eye for Film. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  24. ^ "Glasgow Film Festival opens with Handsome Devil". BBC. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Ski slope hosts Glasgow Film Festival screening". BBC. 24 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  26. ^ Little White Lies (19 January 2017). "Ever wanted to see John Carpenter's The Thing on a ski slope?". Little White Lies. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  27. ^ Nugent, John (15 December 2016). "The Lost Boys: Empire presents a special screening at Glasgow Film Festival". Empire. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  28. ^ a b Grater, Tom (27 February 2017). "Lipstick Under My Burkha Wins Glasgow Audience Award". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Star-studded line-up for Glasgow Film Festival". BBC. 24 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Women directors open and close Glasgow Film Festival". BBC. 9 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Star names and premieres for Glasgow Film Festival". BBC News. 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  32. ^ "Full programme announced for Glasgow Film Festival 2020". Filmoria.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  33. ^ Tabbara, Mona (24 January 2023). "Glasgow Film Festival sets full 2023 line-up, Nida Manzoor's 'Polite Society' to close the festival". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  34. ^ Tom Grater, "Glasgow Film Festival defies extreme weather as 'Custody' wins audience award" Archived 2 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 5 March 2018.
  35. ^ Tom Grater, "'Harry Birrell: Films Of Love And War' wins Glasgow audience award; festival draws record admissions" Archived 2 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 4 March 2019.
  36. ^ Michael Rosser, "‘Arracht’ wins Glasgow audience award; festival draws record admissions" Archived 2 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 9 March 2020.
  37. ^ Rosser, Michael (8 March 2021). "'Sweetheart' wins audience award as online-only Glasgow Film Festival reveals figures". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  38. ^ Mona Tabbara, "‘The Hermit Of Treig’ scoops audience award at Glasgow Film Festival" Archived 2 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 14 March 2022.
  39. ^ Mona Tabbara, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ wins Glasgow audience award as festival co-director bids fond farewell" Archived 28 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 13 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Icelandic football film The Home Game scoops prestigious Audience Award on closing night of Glasgow Film Festival". Screen Scotland. 11 March 2024. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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