More events have been announced for the 18th annual Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), taking place from 2 - 13 March 2022 in a new hybrid format, with screenings both in cinemas and online via the Glasgow Film At Home platform.
GFF will screen a programme of African Stories - a collection of contemporary films celebrating the rich diversity of life in countries across the continent. The films range from Casablanca Beats, a joyous salute to the power of music to transform lives in Morocco and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s multi award-winning Djibouti-set The Gravedigger’s Wife, to documentaries including Once Upon A Time in Uganda, about one man’s mission to create an action movie industry in Uganda. GFF is working with Scotland’s Africa in Motion film festival on events around some key titles. This programme of films will combine to provide a taste of a vital and booming filmmaking continent.
This year’s programme will also shine a light on the pioneering films of Edith Carlmar, Norway’s first female feature film director. Experience Death Is a Caress (1949), the first Norwegian film noir, opening the floodgates to the 21st century cult of Scandi Noir; madcap comedy caper Fools In The Mountains (1957); the illuminating portrait of addiction Young Woman Missing (1953) and her candid final feature The Wayward Girl (1959) which marked the screen debut of Liv Ullmann - all screened on beautiful 35mm.
For the first time ever, GFF’s gala premieres will screen simultaneously at both the festival’s home venue, Glasgow Film Theatre, and at cinemas across the UK including London, Manchester, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Stornoway. Alongside its big screen outings, the festival will build on the huge success of its 2021 digital edition, which took place during lockdown, and a selection of films will be accessible online to audiences across the UK with a specially curated programme available to watch on GFF’s digital platform, Glasgow Film At Home.
The festival has previously confirmed the return of two of its most popular strands. The free morning screenings of modern masterpieces and cult classics are back, focusing in 2022 on Winds of Change: Cinema in ‘62, with big screen outings for To Kill A Mockingbird, Dr. No, The Manchurian Candidate and more.
From 6-10 March GFF will host its seventh edition of Industry Focus, featuring guest speakers, unique networking opportunities, top panel discussions and diverse professional development for those at any step of their career, from students to seasoned professionals. Press and Industry Accreditation is open now and Industry Passes are available to purchase from www.glasgowfilm.org/festival.
GFF is one of the leading film festivals in the UK and run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). GFF is made possible through support from The National Lottery and the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland, Event Scotland, the BFI (awarding funds from the National Lottery) and Glasgow Life.
The full programme for GFF will be announced on 26 January, with tickets going on sale to Cinecard holders on 28 January and on general sale 31 January.
Allan Hunter, GFF Co-director said: ‘Over the past year, we have seen so many outstanding films from countries all across Africa that we have been spoilt for choice in collating African Stories. This is a showcase for the films that have impressed us most, ranging across dramas and documentaries and including Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s award-winning The Gravedigger’s Wife, which is Somali’s Oscar candidate. I think this will be a real voyage of discovery for audiences filled with exciting discoveries.’
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More information
About Glasgow Film Festival
The 18th annual Glasgow Film Festival will run from 2 - 13 March 2022. Previous GFF guests include Richard Gere, Alan Rickman, Joss Whedon, Terry Gilliam, John C Reilly, Saoirse Ronan, George MacKay, Richard Dreyfuss, Karen Gillan, Jessie Buckley, Sir Michael Palin, Jonathan Glazer, Richard Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Ben Wheatley, David Tennant, Cliff Curtis, David Robert Mitchell, Carol Morley, Gemma Jones, Jason Priestley, Neil Jordan, agnés b., Armando Iannucci, Jack O’Connell, Dexter Fletcher, Peter Mullan, George Sluizier, Peter Capaldi, Ty West, Richard Ayoade, David Dastmalchian, Eli Roth and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. www.glasgowfilm.org/festival
About Glasgow Film
Glasgow Film is an educational charity which runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), Scotland’s original independent arthouse cinema and the home of film in Glasgow; Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), one of the UK’s leading public celebrations of cinema; and Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF), a fast-growing international three-day festival co-curated by teenage film-lovers in the city. Glasgow Film is also the lead organisation for Film Hub Scotland, a membership organisation that supports more than 200 exhibitors across the country.
As one of the UK’s leading independent cinemas, GFT plays an important part in the cultural life of Glasgow, screening a wide variety of international cinema, classic films and documentaries, alongside locally made work and material aimed at a range of community groups. GFT also has a strong education programme of outreach, courses and school screenings.
GFT was awarded Accessibility Champion at the SCoD Star Awards 2016 and became the first UK cinema to scoop the Autism Friendly Award 2017. GFF was named Outstanding Festival of the Year at The Herald Scottish Culture Awards 2019. Glasgow Film Theatre is a charity registered in Scotland. No. SC005932. www.glasgowfilm.org
Glasgow Film Festival would like to thank its major partners:
Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland through enhanced funding, services and support and backing from Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and works in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success. screen.scot / Twitter / Instagram.
About the BFI
The BFI Audience Fund invests £5.6m of National Lottery funding each year to expand access and encourage greater enjoyment of cinema by connecting audiences with great films - in venues, at events and online. We do this by supporting:
- leading exhibition organisations, including film festivals, to deliver culturally rich and nationally significant programmes and events on a year round basis
- projects which help exhibitors and distributors bring the best of UK and international cinema to audiences across the UK through events, distribution releases, multiplatform distribution proposals, touring film programmes and more
- initiatives that address under-representation and are innovating audience development
The BFI is the UK’s lead organisation for film, television and the moving image. It is a distributor of National Lottery funding and a cultural charity that:
- Curates and presents the greatest international public programme of world cinema for audiences; in cinemas, at festivals and online
- Cares for the BFI National Archive – the most significant film and television archive in the world
- Actively seeks out and supports the next generation of filmmakers
- Works with Government and industry to make the UK the most creatively exciting and prosperous place to make film internationally
Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Josh Berger CBE.
Glasgow Life is a charity working for the benefit of the people of Glasgow. We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and we find innovative ways to make this happen across the city’s diverse communities.
Our programmes, experiences and events range from grassroots community activities to large-scale cultural, artistic and sporting events which present Glasgow on an international stage.
Our work is designed to promote inclusion, happiness and health, as well as support the city’s visitor economy, in order to enhance Glasgow’s mental, physical and economic wellbeing.