Glasgow Film Festival has announced the 20th edition of its programme ahead of a milestone year for the event.
Tickets to the Opening and Closing Galas go on sale at 11 am on Thursday 25 January. Tickets to all events go on sale to GFT Cinecard holders at 11 am on Friday 26 January. General sale at 11 am on Monday 29 January.
Love Lies Bleeding opens the festival on 28 February from Saint Maud director Rose Glass. Starring Kirsten Stewart as a lonely Gym manager suddenly besotted by ambitious bodybuilder Jackie (Katy M. O’Brian), the couple become trapped in a web of lies, crime, and desire for a modern take on film noir.
The closing gala also premieres Janey, a new documentary about comedian Janey Godley, to the world. The film follows the Glaswegian native through her terminal cancer diagnosis and her final ever live tour, Not Dead Yet.
World Premieres
This year is particularly special for the festival as with it comes with multiple anniversaries. The 20th edition of Glasgow Film Festival, the 50th anniversary of the Glasgow Film Theatre and the 85th anniversary of the Cosmo building all bring the promise of the biggest festival to date.
The programming team have narrowed down over 400 submissions to bring 11 world and international premieres, 69 UK premieres and 15 Scottish premieres from 44 countries.
First-time director Ciaran Lyons brings the world premiere of Tummy Monster to his hometown. Starring Lorn Macdonald as a self-centred tattoo artist locked in a psychological battle with an international pop star.
Also making its world premiere is Bucky F*cking Dent, David Duchovny’s adaption of his 2016 graphic novel about a father and son duo driven together by a sudden diagnosis and a love of baseball.
Audiences will get an exclusive first look at the entire second season of Float, a tender Queer romance about love, loss, and swimming centres from playwright Stef Smith.
UK Premieres
As part of a series of UK premieres, Bleeding Love features Ewan and Clara McGregor as a father and daughter trying to reconnect in a road trip flick. in Drift, Cynthia Erivo stars alongside Alia Shawkat as a Liberian refugee who flees to a Greek island and befriends an American tour guide.
In a special partnership with cinemas across the UK, Alice Rohrwacher’s grave-digging romantic musical La Chimera will screen simultaneously with cinemas in London, Cardiff, Nottingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Sheffield, Dundee, and Inverness.
Audience Award
Glasgow’s free morning retrospectives have always been a highlight of the festival and this year is no different. The Story So Far strand includes 10 classic titles from each anniversary in Glasgow Film’s history. Some of the screenings include, Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Mel Brooks’s comedy classic Young Frankenstein (1974), and the highs and lows of country music superstar Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005).
The audience award is awarded to an outstanding feature film by a first or second time director voted for by the audience.
This year, feature films from all over the world including The Teacher, a drama from British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi about about a Palestinian school teacher trying to balance his political activism with a. new relationship. The Dead Don’t Hurt a new western starring and directed by Viggo Mortensen; And Milk Teeth a survivalist drama about a mother and daughter bringing in a foundling child against the wishes of their community.
Allison Gardner, CEO of Glasgow Film and Director of GFF, said:
“One of my highlights of GFF is our Audience Award, this year sponsored by MUBI. The Audience Award supports emerging talent and it’s a joy to see these films play in front of our dedicated audiences. Watch all 8 of our hand picked films and support these directors at the early stages of their directing careers.
“I am extremely proud to have been here for every one of Glasgow Film Festival’s 20 editions. My thanks goes to everyone who has helped us to get this far. Many, many people have worked incredibly hard to make this the friendliest film festival in the world.”
For more information on the programme visit Glasgowfilm.org
Featured image credit: Glasgow Film Festival
Film and Tv Editor at Brig Newspaper. Currently studying Journalism and English at the University of Stirling
