On the beat: Glasgow Film Festival Press Launch

Last Wednesday, I joined Central Scotland's film glitterati at the press launch for Glasgow Film Festival's (GFF) 2011 programme. An evening of double delights; awesome programming and free stovies. The grand old bash - marking the festival's seventh year - was hosted by Co-Directors Allison Gardner & Allan Hunter, with key speakers including; Scott Taylor (Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, one of the main funders of GFF), Matt Lloyd (Director of Glasgow Short Film Festival GSFF), three adorable members of Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF) who demonstrated their quirky Ok Go style trailer, Arches music programmer (whose name escapes me) and actor and co-founder of Sigma Films, Alastair MacKenzie, brother of Young Adam director David MacKenzie (I'll mention this duo again in a jiffy). However, stovies aside, the highlight of the evening was most definitely the preview of GSFF's hysterical trailer by David Ferguson. It's Southpark in Sauchiehall Street, "A'll no huv that". 

   

'Mainstream to arthouse, vintage to futuristic'
~ Allison Gardner, GFF Co-Director

The sad news is, that - with over 250 filmic delights on offer - it is impossible to see them all. So, following a week of stewing over the programme and each strand (GFF has many mini-festivals within its main programme), here are my 'anticipated' festival highlights. Drum roll, please...

Glasgow Film Festival (GFF main programme)

In comparison to mega-festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Toronto, GFF is a fairly small operation. But it's a respected one. And any respected film festival boasts a WORLD PREMIERE, right? Earlier I mentioned the uber talented MacKenzie brothers, well, their new movie, You Instead (you know the one filmed at T in the Park 2010?), premieres for the first time EVER as part of the 'Great Scots' strand. And this my friends, is my TOP highlight. By a mile. That said, I'm also psyched about the Meryl Streep Retrospective, notably the screening of A Cry in the Dark (1988). I've loved that movie since I was eight years old, and can't wait to see it on the big screen. 

Of course, film festivals are not all about sticking to what you like. They're about pushing the boundaries of taste. Genre experimentation. Self-exploration. Well, I'm no comic nerd. I'm not enthused by Ironman, Superman, Spiderman, err... Cockroachman, or the likes. The closest thing I own to a comic is Maw Broon's Cookbook. Basically, I'm an uncool mum minus the offspring. So my challenge as it were, is to infiltrate Mark Millar's Workshop (part of the new 'Superheroes in Glasgow' strand), where the Kick-Ass, Wanted author is set to share his graphic-novel wisdom with Glesga's quirky nerd populous, and me, Maw Broon. 

  

Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF)

Returning for a 'feverish fourth year' to the CCA, this year's GSFF welcomes an international jury for the GSFF Short Film Award, which now stretches across eight categories. I'm looking forward to the DigiCult party and - being a fan of all things exile - entries to the Lonesome Road category, particularly Canopy Crossings, my firm favourite to scoop the award. I'll also be heading along to the panel discussion: Is Filmmaking a White Middle-Class Career Choice?, which I'm certain to blog/tweet/and shout about, given the topic.  

Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF) 

In this mini-fest, I'm most looking forward to Hearbeats, the follow up to Xavier Dolan's I Killed My Mother (GFF 2010). This little delight got Cannes talking. And it's about to get Glasgow talking. Appropriately scheduled on Valentine's Day, ah! bliss! Come forth, modern lovers. There's also some awesome workshops programmed, such as How to Write a Film Script and Film Nation: Make a Film in a Day. Neither of which I can attend because I'm too bloody old. Is there a trend appearing here!? 

Well, that's a wrap. The festival runs from 17-27 February (GYFF runs 16-26 February). During this time, I expect to have little sleep and lots of wine. Keep checking for reviews, festival chat and perhaps some star spotting. And who knows, perhaps Cockroachman will take off.