It is one of the largest film festivals in the UK which has been delighting audiences in Scotland’s largest city for almost twenty years.
The Glasgow Film Festival returns in March, bringing its own blend of cinema magic to silver screens and venues across the city, with a full programme of events announced this week.
Almost every genre is represented, as well as documentaries, retrospectives and animation. And as usual a galaxy of – yet to be announced – stars will appear on the red carpet when the show gets underway.
Showcasing 70 UK premieres, six World premieres, 16 European/International premieres and six Scottish premieres, there will be something new for even the most dedicated cinephile, as well as old classics and favourites.
But what is the pick of the bunch? Here’s our guide to the films you simply cannot miss:
Déborah Lukumuena and Le'Shantey Bonsu in Girl
Girl (Opening Gala, Wednesday 1 March)
The festival opens with the UK premiere of Glasgow writer-director Adura Onashile’s feature film debut Girl. Grace (Déborah Lukumuena) and her 11-year-old daughter Ama (Le'Shantey Bonsu) are trying to build a new life in Glasgow, a city where everything feels strange and hostile. This atmospheric and poignant tale of what it takes to escape the legacy of violence and trust in the future marks Glasgow-based writer-director Onashile as an exciting new voice in Scottish cinema.
Typist Artist Pirate King (Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 March)
Scotland’s own Kelly Macdonald stars alongside Monica Dolan star in Carol Morley’s fantastical road movie, telling the story of real-life outsider artist Audrey Amiss whose extraordinary body of work was only discovered after her death. Illustrated with Audrey’s artwork and set to a wide-ranging soundtrack that includes Boy George and Blondie.
READ MORE: Dozens of premiers showcased at Glasgow Film Festival
Dog days (Sunday 5 March)
Fresh from teaming up with actor Peter Mullan for the ‘Skint’ monalogues,‘the Springburn Scorsese’ James Price returns to the Festival with Dog Days, a poignant look at a musically gifted homeless Dundee man (played by Neds star Conor McCarron) trying to turn his life around. Can this gritty feelgood film capture audiences hearts?
Paul Mescal in God's Creatures
God’s creatures (Thursday 2 and Friday 3 March)
Emily Watson and Paul Mescal star in this haunting drama of a close-knit community in Ireland torn apart by sexual abuse allegations. Exploring the ways women are discredited in order to protect men, the film is receiving its UK premier at the Festival.
Blackberry (Friday 3 and Saturday 4 March)
If tech is your thing, why not check out the fascinating drama on the rise and fall of Blackberry phones. Once so popular they were dubbed ‘crackberries’, the device was wiped off the map by the arrival of smartphones and touchscreens. A milestone in the way we communicate, starring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton and How To Train Your Dragon’s Jay Baruchel
READ MORE: Horror film festival's Glasgow line up revealed
The Beasts (Friday 3 and Saturday 4 March)
GFF23 celebrates international cinema with its 2023 Country Focus: Viva el cine español! showcasing a collection of eight contemporary films from Spain. Following success at Cannes Film Festival, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s film will make its UK Premiere. Antoine (Denis Ménochet) and Olga (Marina Foïs) hanker for the land and plan to live at one with nature before psychological warfare bubbles in this gripping thriller.
The Origin was filmed in Scotland
The Origin (Sunday 5 and Tuesday 7 March)
What would a good film festival be without a bit of horror and gore to send shivers and shudders down the spine? This survival horror with a twist – show entirely in the Scottish Highlands during the pandemic – sees a tribe of Neolithic hunter-gatherers migrate to seek a better life, only to realise they are being stalked by an unknown being with malicious intent. Director Andrew Cumming asks who are the hunted, and who are the hunters?
The Freedom Machine (Sunday 12 March)
The festival has long championed documentary filmmaking – so if you feel like learning something new, why not get on your bike and visit a screening of The Freedom Machine? Using archival footage, Scottish film curator Jo Reid shows how women used the bicycle to find freedom on the road, and beyond.
I am Weekender (Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March)
Filmmakers Tabitha Denholm and Adam Dunlop’s film is another must-see documentary. Exploring the reception of the Wiz's classic Weekender, the rave-scene expose which was banned by ITV and STV, I am Weekender features the people behind the project, its impact, and its rise to cult status as it reaches its 30th anniversary. Featuring a host of talking heads including Bobby Gillespie and Irvine Welsh who says ‘without Weekender there would have been no Trainspotting’
Priya Kansara
Polite Society (12 March)
The Festival will close on 12 March with the UK premiere of We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor’s feature debut Polite Society. Following terrific buzz at Sundance Film Festival 2023, this riotous action-comedy is filled with hi-jinks, high kicks and some Bollywood style razzle-dazzle. British Pakistani schoolgirl Ria (Priya Kansara) is an expert martial arts fighter and dreams of a career as a stuntwoman. Her big sister Lena (Ritu Arya) has dropped out of art school and is drifting in limbo until a whirlwind romance threatens to carry her off. Ria is determined to uncover the truth. Is plotting to kidnap Lena from her own wedding a step too far? Let battle commence.
Best of the rest: With more than 250 screenings and events at Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and other venues across the city running during the Festival, it’s almost impossible to pick a list of ten unmissables; so here’s some other highlights to excite the senses of even casual moviegoers:
Butchers Crossing: Nicolas Cage as a seasoned buffalo hunter in Gabe Polsky’s vividly-realised Western, receiving its UK Premier.
Thelma and Louise: A much-loved tale of sisterhood to the bitter end, this Oscar-winner resonated loud and clear with audiences.
Sisu: This gore-splattered war film from Finnish director Jalmari Helander sees one hard-to-kill Finn take on Nazi soldiers in Lapland.
My Name is Alfred Hitchcock: Legendary and notorious director (voiced by Alistair McGowan) rewatches his own films and question how they stand up in today’s society.
The Birds: Special 60th anniversary screening of Hitchcock’s eerie horror masterpiece. A rare chance to see this classic on the big screen.
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