Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) 2024 wrapped up on Sunday 10 March by celebrating a bumper year of ticket sales and local and international talent.
GFF24 admissions increased to 34,817, a 4% rise from GFF23. The festival also cemented its reputation as a major meeting point for the UK and international filmmaking sector, with 650 delegates from across the globe visiting Glasgow (an increase in 56% from 2023) and over 3000 admissions to its Industry Focus events.
From an unparalleled 397 film submissions, the GFF programme showcased 121 feature films at 241 screenings and events over 12 days at Glasgow Film Theatre, CCA, Cineworld, Glee Club, BAaD, Cottiers Theatre, Civic House, Adelaide Place, Doubletree Hilton and the Arc.
GFF also partnered with nine cinemas across the UK, including Barbican, BFI Southbank, Broadway, Chapter Cardiff, DCA, Eden Court, Showroom Sheffield, Watershed and Tyneside for the first UK screenings of GFF premiere La Chimera, a fantastical romance starring Josh O’Connor.
The 20th edition of GFF opened with the UK Premiere of Kristen Stewart’s hotly-anticipated neo noir Love Lies Bleeding, which sold out in a record-breaking 6 minutes, and closed with the gala World premiere of John Archer’s documentary Janey - all while welcoming a host of famous faces onto the red-carpet including Viggo Mortensen, Emily Hampshire, George MacKay, Maxine Peake and Dale Dickey.
The power was in GFF audiences hands as they voted on the prestigious Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award, crowning The Home Game as 2024 winner. The crowd-pleasing underdog Icelandic football documentary sat alongside strong contenders such as Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt and Aylin Tezel’s Isle of Skye-shot romance Falling Into Place yet won by a landslide, netting the highest score in the award’s 10 year history.
The GFF Audience Award was established in 2015 and is the only prize decided by GFF audiences. Sponsored this year by MUBI, it gave audiences the chance to vote for their favourite film from a shortlisted group of feature film titles by first or second-time directors.
In the 1930s, Glasgow was home to more cinemas per person than anywhere else in the UK and became affectionately known as the Cinema City. The city’s passion for film has burned brightly ever since, with Glasgow Film Theatre at its heart. Viggo Mortensen was presented with the award by Glasgow Film Festival Director Allison Gardner.
Looking to the future, GFF announced that the festival will return next year, with the 21st edition running from 26 February to 9 March 2025.
Allison Gardner, CEO of Glasgow Film and Director of GFF, said: “Myself and the whole team at the festival are thrilled with how GFF24 went. From our critically and publicly acclaimed programme highlighting emerging talent to the friendly and warm reception by our wonderful audiences to the talented guests that came to Glasgow from across the world, our 20th edition was a perfect reflection of everything Glasgow Film Festival stands for: Cinema For All.
“We were particularly delighted to host so many sold out screenings, from our opening film Love Lies Bleeding selling out in a record-breaking 6 minutes, to two packed-out Cinema 1 showings of the new Big Banana Feet restoration and extra screenings of Glasgow filmmaker Ciaran Lyons’ debut Tummy Monster added due to phenomenal demand - Glasgow Film Festival is the film festival for audiences and in 2024 our audience came out in their droves to support their festival”.
Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland, said: “As a major supporter of the festival, Screen Scotland congratulates Allison and the whole festival team for delivering this year's 20th edition of Glasgow Film Festival. Once again, they’ve delivered a rich mix of fantastic films, engaging events, special guests, and industry activity all wrapped up in the unique and welcoming atmosphere they create.
“Every year, the festival brings people together to enjoy the best cinema from Scotland and around the world, and provides filmmakers with valuable opportunities and pathways in the industry. This edition underscores the festival's role in showcasing the vibrant Scottish filmmaking sector, which made it the ideal place to launch our new strategy during the festival. We join in celebrating the amazing milestones achieved with this year’s efforts and continue to support its growth and development.”
Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life Chair, said: “The excellent audience figures, and number of sell-out events Glasgow Film Festival 2024 achieved, highlight what a resounding success it has been. GFF24’s excellent, expansive programme showcased the very best in world cinema, with a wonderful wealth of contemporary and retrospective screenings across a wide range of genres.
“The impressive range of premieres featured, as well as the fabulous line-up of global film industry talent attending, attracted film fans from near and far and delighted a broad range of audiences, making this year’s festival very special.
“Festival Director Allison Gardner and her teams deserve huge congratulations; they pulled out all the stops to stage a superb 20th anniversary edition of our much-loved Glasgow Film Festival – further enhancing the annual event’s international reputation, as well as the city’s status as an outstanding destination for great cinema and stand-out cultural events.”
More information
Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) is firmly established as a key event in the UK's cultural calendar. Launched in 2005, GFF has grown greatly in significance and is now a key launching pad for films and one of the top film festivals in the UK. GFF continues to grow and develop its international reputation. Held annually, it presents a unique programme of feature film premieres, special events, live and interactive experiences, and an Industry Focus programme for filmmakers at every stage of their career.
Image credit
Header image: Volunteers at GFF, courtesy of GFF
Image 2: red carpet at the Janey premiere, courtesy of GFF, credit Eoin Carey
Image 3: red carpet at the Falling Into Place premiere, courtesy of GFF, credit Amy Muir