Brian Cox: Scottish actor will be appearing at festival to discuss career Pic: Gregory Pace/BEI/Rex Features
The Glasgow Film Festival begins today with its opening gala, and features 239 films and events in a programme that includes a record number of UK and European premieres – with many of the directors and stars also coming to town.
The festival runs from 16th to 26th February in 16 venues across the city, and follows on from the Glasgow Short Film Festival and the Glasgow Youth Film Festival which took place earlier this month. The 2012 event is hosting 239 films and events in a programme that includes a record number of UK and European premieres.
Glasgow Film Festival 2012 kicks off this evening by welcoming acclaimed director Lynn Shelton to the festival’s Opening Gala.
Shelton, whose last film Humpday won a string of awards, will be flying from Seattle to Glasgow for the UK premiere of her latest film Your Sister’s Sister, a painfully funny and utterly beguiling tale of bad timing, booze, broken hearts and the healing power of love.
Allison Gardner, co-director of the GFF said: “We’re delighted that Lynn is coming over to showcase her fantastic new film to our audiences.
“The Glasgow Film Festival is one big party and everyone’s invited – affordable cinema is the best antidote to economic gloom."
The festival is as ever focused on providing cinema for the broadest audience possible, and as such includes a rich variety of strands and festivals within festivals including a retrospective on Gene Kelly, the hugely popular gore-heavy weekender FrightFest and the Glasgow Music and Film Festival
There’s also a showcase of new Scottish filmmakers, the cabaret-inspired Weimarvellous and Kapow!@GFF, which see influential Scottish writer Mark Millar bringing some big names from the world of comic books to town.
One of the many films receiving its first British screening at Glasgow is the eagerly awaited Ecstasy, which will also see author Irvine Welsh and director Rob Heydon take part in a Q&A with some of the cast and crew.
Among other appearances acclaimed Scottish actor Brian Cox will discuss his career for the the BAFTA in Scotland Interview, director Marc Evans and actor Jon Finn will be fielding questions for British musical Hunky Dory, highly rated Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo will be talking Extraterrestrial, actor Dexter Fletcher will be presenting his directorial debut Wild Bill and Scottish director Richard Jobson will be presenting his latest effort The Somnambulists.
The Scottish work within the programme ranges from a world premiere of the documentary No One But Me on legendary jazz singer Annie Ross, to the UK premiere of Zam Salim's debut feature Up There, Scots writer/director Simon Arthur's inspired American indie dramaSilver Tongues, inventive low-budget features Electric Man and Night is Day and a rare revival of the 1976 documentary Big Banana Feet in tribute to director, cinematographer and stills photographer David Peat, the 2011 recipient of the BAFTA in Scotland craft award.
- For reviews, interviews and the latest news about the Glasgow Film Festival visit stv.tv/gff.
