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GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2012 ANNOUNCES PROGRAMME
YOUR SISTER’S SISTER IS OPENING GALA
Glasgow Film Festival 2012 has announced a packed programme of premieres,
special guests and unique events. GFF 2012, funded by Glasgow City Marketing
Bureau, Creative Scotland and EventScotland, is one of the first major events in the
Year of Creative Scotland and runs from 16–26 February in sixteen venues across
the city.
The Festival will open on Thursday 16 February with the UK premiere of Your
Sister's Sister, the latest feature from Humpday creator Lynn Shelton who was
recently chosen by Variety as one of their ‘10 Directors to Watch in 2012’.
Arriving in Glasgow after its Sundance screening, Your Sister's Sister is a
StudioCanal release and stars Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass in a
painfully funny and utterly captivating tale of bad timing, broken hearts and the
healing power of love. Shelton's most impressive work to date has been winning rave
reviews and glowing comparisons to the films of Woody Allen and Eric Rohmer.
The Festival's closing gala on Sunday 26 February is Le Havre (an Artificial Eye
release), the latest deadpan delight from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki
which won the prestigious Prix Louis Delluc in France and a host of
international awards. Kaurismäki regular André Wilms plays a warmhearted
shoeshine who befriends a young African immigrant on the run from the authorities.
Their friendship is the basis of an intricately woven tale full of priceless poker-faced
comedy and heartrending tenderness. "I think the superb quality and international
credentials of the opening and closing galas reflect the very special programme of
films and events that we have put together for the 2012 Festival," states Glasgow
Film Festival Co-director Allison Gardner. "The Festival goes from strength to
strength and the whole team are very focused on satisfying the great expectations
that now attend the event."
Glasgow Film Festival is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee,
registered in Scotland No 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a
charity (No SCO05932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
The 2012 Festival will host 239 films and events in a programme that includes a
record number of UK and European premieres. Among the many films receiving their
first British screening at Glasgow are the eagerly-awaited Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy,
romantic comedy The Decoy Bride co-starring David Tennant and Kelly Macdonald,
acclaimed American independent drama In the Family, sumptuous period drama Bel
Ami starring Robert Pattinson, award-winner Cloudburst with Olympia Dukakis and
Brenda Fricker, controversial documentaries Better this World and How to Die in
Oregon and the highly acclaimed animated feature Wrinkles (Arrugas), one of the
great international discoveries of the past year.
"The guiding philosophy at Glasgow has always been to showcase the very best of
world cinema without any prejudice or snobbery," says Glasgow Film Festival codirector Allan Hunter. "This year's programme is a rich and diverse selection of prizewinners and premieres from around the globe and around the corner. We bring the
best films we can to Glasgow and provide a platform for the finest Scottish films to
engage the world."
The Scottish work within the programme ranges from a world premiere of the
brilliant 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 drama Silver Tongues, inventive lowbudget 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. GFF will also screen Alexander Mackendrick’s The Maggie in the unique
surroundings of The Tall Ship on the River Clyde.
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “We are
delighted to be continuing our support for Glasgow Film Festival as it enters its eighth
year. The Festival has grown from small beginnings to become one of the most
highly regarded film events in the UK and a real standout in the city’s cultural
calendar.
“Each year the Festival attracts large numbers of visitors and showcases a wealth of
world cinema talent; capturing the imagination of local, national and international filmgoers. This generates economic benefit for Glasgow while reinforcing both our
cutting-edge style credentials and our reputation for successfully hosting major
festivals and events.
“In addition, the Festival celebrates one of the city’s most vital creative industries.
Glasgow’s reputation as a first-class filming destination has never been more
apparent and it is a real credit to the city that productions are increasingly choosing
to locate here. Glasgow Film Festival plays an integral role in that success,
positioning the city on the global film festival stage and highlighting our passion and
expertise in the broadcast industry.”
Glasgow Film Festival is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee,
registered in Scotland No 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a
charity (No SCO05932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Glasgow Film Festival has grown and developed a loyal audience throughout its
existence and has now matured into a month-long celebration of cinema with
Glasgow Youth Film Festival (5-15 February) and Glasgow Short Film Festival
(9–12) preceding the main event. "The notion that Glasgow would become a Festival
of Festivals has really flourished this year with both the Short Film Festival and Youth
Film Festival rightly achieving such a level of popularity that they needed to stand
alone and find more room to grow," observes Co-director Allan Hunter. "Both
Festivals have excellent programmes this year and of course the Festival itself still
has many different events under the one umbrella."
Caroline Parkinson, Creative Director of Creative Scotland commented: “Glasgow
has long established itself as a major centre for film and cinematic culture and the
outstanding growth of Glasgow Film Festival is testament to this. Delivering another
fantastic programme, the Festival showcases the very best of Scottish and
international work, once again shining a spotlight on Scottish talent and celebrating
and promoting Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage. Creative
Scotland is proud to have invested in the Festival, one of the first major events to
take place in the Year of Creative Scotland.”
Further highlights within the 2012 programme include a bumper crop of ghoulish
delights from FrightFest with UK premieres of Aussie chiller Crawl and Gareth
Evans’ much admired The Raid. Fashion and Film promises high fashion and
high heels with a must-see documentary on our obsession with shoes, and
portraits of icons Vivienne Westwood, Diana Vreeland and Ozwald Boateng.
Last year’s fantastically successful Superheroes in Glasgow returns in the form of
Kapow!@GFF. Dedicated to all things comic and superhero it’s once again expertly
curated by GFF ambassador and local hero Mark Millar. Glasgow Music and Film
Festival returns with cutting-edge documentaries and an unmissable live
appearances from US art rockers High Places and Umberto, who will be performing
a live soundtrack to a secret film.
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Glasgow Film
Festival is a key date on Scotland’s cultural calendar, and it is one of the first major
international events in 2012, the Year of Creative Scotland. Scotland is the perfect
stage for events, and the strength of the GFF programme is testament to that fact,
with Glasgow Short Film Festival and Glasgow Youth Film Festival contributing to a
month-long celebration of cinematic talent.”
2012 programme addition Crossing the Line explores the crossover between
cinema and visual art and includes works by Ben Rivers, Jan Svankmajer and the
unique commission from 2011 Margaret Tait Award-winner Anne-Marie
Copestake, And Under That.
The country focus in 2012 is Welcome to Germany, a stunning selection of new
features showcasing the very best of contemporary German cinema. Developed in
partnership with the Goethe Institut, the focus comprises prize-winners, Festival
Glasgow Film Festival is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee,
registered in Scotland No 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a
charity (No SCO05932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
favourites and box-office hits including Maggie Peren's Toronto discovery Colour of
the Ocean (Die Farbe des Ozean), Andreas Dresen's Cannes triumph Stopped on
Track (Halt auf freier Strecke), Ulrich Kohler's Berlin prize-winner Sleeping
Sickness (Schlafkrankheit) and the award-winning Vincent Wants to Sea (Vincent
will Meer). Some old-fashioned glamour is introduced by Weimarvellous, a
weekend of entertainment and experiment inspired by the cabaret movement of
Weimar Republic Germany, curated and sponsored by the University of Edinburgh in
partnership with Cinema Spectacular and GFF.
The Festival has previously announced that the 2012 retrospective will honour
Gene Kelly in the year that marks the centenary of his birth. Kelly remains the
quintessential MGM song 'n' dance man who took dance on film to new heights with
his inventive choreography, dazzling direction and amazing athleticism. The
retrospective includes all the Kelly classics, from On the Town (1949) to An
American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952) and Brigadoon (1954).
Festival audiences will also have a chance to put on their dancing shoes and attend
the Gene Kelly Ceilidh.
Dedication to vintage cinema at the Festival continues with the Out of the Past
strand, a showcase for new and restored prints of cinema classics. Highlights this
year include a digital restoration of Death Watch (La mort en direct) (1980),
Bertrand Tavernier's prescient tale of reality television's corrosive excesses. Shot in
Glasgow and starring Harvey Keitel, Romy Schneider and Harry Dean Stanton, the
film has long been unavailable in the UK, a situation that will be remedied by
Glasgow-based distributor Park Circus who plan a cinema re-release in 2012.
Bertrand Tavernier has confirmed his attendance at Glasgow and leads a list of
confirmed Festival guests that includes Andreas Dresen, Dexter Fletcher and
Irvine Welsh.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Glasgow Film Festival runs from 16–26 February 2012. For a full line up of
screenings and events see www.glasgowfilm.org/festival.
Tickets are on sale from 19 January from the Box Office, GFT, 12 Rose Street,
Glasgow, by phone on 0141 332 6535 or from www.glasgowfilm.org/festival.
For further information or images please contact Alison Young, Press Coordinator at
festivalpress@glasgowfilm.org or on 0141 332 6535 ext 245.
Glasgow Film Festival is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee,
registered in Scotland No 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a
charity (No SCO05932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Glasgow Film Festival would like to thank its major partners:
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau is the official destination marketing agency for
metropolitan Glasgow. It is engaged in national and international activity comprising:
development and implementation of the city branding campaign Glasgow: Scotland
with style; event creation, attraction, management and marketing; conventions,
incentives, meetings and exhibition sales; conference and event accommodation
bookings; public relations and the development of the website:
www.seeglasgow.com.
EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make
Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting
portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s
international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further
information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit
www.EventScotland.org.
The Year of Creative Scotland 2012 will spotlight and celebrate Scotland’s cultural
and creative strengths on a world stage and is a Scottish Government initiative led in
partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL. More
information and resources to help businesses engage with Year of Creative Scotland
are available at www.visitscotland.org/yearofcreativescotland-toolkit.
Creative Scotland is the national development agency for the arts, screen and
creative industries, and its ambition is to see Scotland recognised as one of the
world’s most creative nations. Investing in our Creative Future, the organisation’s first
corporate plan sets out its vision: That Scotland is recognised as a leading creative
nation – one that attracts, develops and retains talent, where the arts and the
creative industries are supported and celebrated and their economic contribution fully
captured, a nation where the arts and creativity play a central part in the lives,
education and well-being of our population. www.creativescotland.com.
Glasgow Film Festival is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee,
registered in Scotland No 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a
charity (No SCO05932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.