Glasgow's flagship film festival that celebrates cinema worldwide could be coming to a screen near you - after a pandemic-inspired partnership with 22 cinemas across the country.

Glasgow Film Festival is taking its premieres nationwide in a bid to make sure the coronavirus pandemic doesn't stop anyone from sharing in the joy of cinema for 2021.

Now, no matter the restrictions, loyal audiences of the GFF will still be a part of the festival, wherever they are in the country.  

Running from 24 February to 7 March, the 17th edition of Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) is linking up with cinemas across the four nations, in order to welcome audience members who are not able to travel to Glasgow - but who still wish to experience the magic of the festival on the big screen.

Cinema fans from Stornoway to Cardiff, Belfast to London - as well as Aberdeen, Bo'Ness, Dundee, Edinburgh, Inverness, Stirling and more - can take part in GFF and enjoy exclusive screenings.

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In addition to these venues and Glasgow Film Theatre – GFF’s home in the city – festival films will screen on our new online platform Glasgow Film At Home, to safely provide the GFF experience for film fans all across the country.

Thanks to the partnership with 22 cinemas and new hybrid form, audiences will be able to take part in Glasgow Film Festival in towns and cities nationwide for the first time.

Each partner cinema will show the Opening and Closing films of the festival, as well as a selection of cinema-only screenings from the festival programme, which is set to be announced in January.

Allison Gardner, Glasgow Film CEO and Co-Director of Glasgow Film Festival, said:
“Working in partnership with cinemas all around the UK means we can bring fantastic films and premieres to audiences across the four nations and still give that big screen experience that makes cinema so exciting."

She added: We are delighted to be opening the 17th Glasgow film Festival with Minari, a heart-warming, affecting portrait of a family set against the beautiful Arkansas countryside. Steven Yeun gives a powerful portrayal in Lee Isaac Chung’s autobiographical drama, with scene-stealing performances from Yuh-Jung Youn and Alan Kim as a grandmother and grandson at cultural odds.”

Councillor David McDonald, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Glasgow Film Festival has an international reputation for attracting exceptional films and talent and I am delighted that such a popular part of Glasgow’s events calendar will be seen across the UK in some of our best loved independent venues.

"It is especially important for our creative industries that the people who have worked so hard, and often for so long, know that their films can and will be seen by festival audiences.

"I hope as many people as possible will be able to watch screenings in cinemas or be part of Glasgow Film Festival from home and appreciate why it is loved and appreciated so much around the world.”

Full List of Partner Cinemas

Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen 
Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast
The Hippodrome, Bo’Ness
Watershed, Bristol
Chapter, Cardiff
Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Keswick Film Festival, Keswick
Eden Court, Inverness
Ipswich Film Theatre, Ipswich
Phoenix, Leicester
BFI Southbank, London
Barbican, London
Curzon Soho, London
Home, Manchester
Broadway, Nottingham
Northampton Filmhouse, Northampton
Forum Cinema Hexam, Northumberland
Curzon, Oxford
Showroom Workstation, Sheffield
MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling
An Lanntair, Stornoway

The full programme for GFF will be announced on 14 January. Tickets for the programme, including the Opening and Closing films, will go on sale on Monday 18 January.