Check-in! : Glasgow Film Festival

Glasgow sprang out of hibernation a month early in February for the perless jamboree that is Glasgow Film Festival. With a programme of film, food and potholing it had no problem maintaining its notoriety for creative, vivid, unforgettable events.  I was really lucky to join the team again this year and I had more excitement and colour than I could point a camera at.

From the Grand Budapest Hotel in the Grand Central, Goodfellas and pizza at the Briggait, Jason Priestly’s socks, to the Glasgow Gospel Choir’s impromptu opening of a screening, all documented below.

Robert Florence at the Festival Opening Gala
Stuart and Marisa Murdoch at the Festival Opening Gala
 Guests at the Festival Opening Gala
Guests at the Festival Opening Gala
Street Food Cinema at the Briggait
Alison Gardner introduces the opening night gala
John Sessions in session.
Benedikt Erlingsson in conversation for Of Horses and Men
James Duff in a post show discussion for Hank and Asha
Richard Dreyfus and Jason Priestly on the red carpet for Cas and Dylan
Richard Dreyfus at the GFT
Jason Priestly in a post show Q&A for Cas and Dylan
Jason Priestly in a post show Q&A for Cas and Dylan
Agnés b and Lou-Léila Demerliac on the rad carpet for My Name Is Hmmm…
Claudia Lennear with the Glasgow Gospel Choir perform for the premiere of 20 Feet from Stardom 
Claudia Lennear with the Glasgow Gospel Choir perform for the premiere of 20 Feet from Stardom 
Claudia Lennear with the Glasgow Gospel Choir perform for the premiere of 20 Feet from Stardom 
Margaret Tait Award winners Anne-Marie Copestake and Rachel MacLean with festival Producer Corinne Orton
Margaret Tait Award winner Rachel MacLean introduces her new work
Andy Diggle and Jock in conversation with Mark Millar
Andy Diggle and Jock in conversation with Mark Millar
Andy Diggle and Jock in conversation with Mark Millar
Ed Atkins, curator of Man of Steel
George Sluizer, Director of Dark Blood, in a post show discussion
Until next year…

Glasgow Film Festival ’13

Kudos! Another brilliant year for Glasgow Film Festival. Building, as ever, on their previous years, 2013 saw Glasgow implode under a hefty programme of over 350 events. The festival stretched its reach across international cinematic boundaries as well as venues in the city, from a western dancehall to an obscure underground subway.

I was invited in again this year to provide coverage on the events from the red carpet to the afterparty mayhem. Here are some of the highlights below!

Lorenza Izzo and Eli Roth at the UK Premiere of Aftershock

Nicolas Lopez works the red carpet for the UK premiere of Aftershock

Festival Co-Director Alan Hunter introduces a special screening of Carl Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc at Glasgow Cathedral 

Gemma Arterton at the Q&A of Neil Jordan’s UK Premiere of Byzantium
Saoirse Ronan on the red carpet for Neil Jordan’s Byzantium

Citadel director, Ciaron Foy on the red carpet

Jake Wilson, the youngest member of the Q&A panel for Citadel

Robert Emms in conversation at the Q&A of Rufus Norris’s Broken 
Actor Emun Elliot and casting agent Kahleen Crawford in conversation  as part of a BAFTA event

Guests at the afterparty of We Are Northern Lights

 First Minister Alex Salmond  has his comic knowledge challenged by Mark Millar at GEEK night
Audience at the Frightfest Friday marthon
Festival Co-director Allison Gardner with the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

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Glasgow Film Festival

I was invited along to join in and photograph the fray of the GFF last week. If ever the balance of culture and fun was to be tipped, this was it. Heavily in favour of fun though!

It is easy to forget that at the core of arts and culture events, swathed in glamour and panache, cinema does everything its own way. Its recipe is artistic celebration at its most social. Less the stiffness of the gallery launch and less operatic than the stage. If there is one thing the blockbuster approach brings, it is a damn fine jolly. What more can you ask from a business of entertainment? Comically up-itself perhaps, but it is the the loosest, most inclusive form of enjoyment out there that you can share with 100 strangers at a time. And at the moment (in my jazz age reverie at least) I can happily forgive its mass production for the charm and messiness and swagger of the red carpet. Film can take itself very seriously but the cinema is still a party.

Which is exactly what was put before my eyes in Glasgow. An already incredibly broad and adventurous programme of screenings was supported by an ensemble of cinema events in creative spaces full of colourful people. A total mix. Isn’t that what festivals are all about? That and fun.

The full festival galleries are avilable to look at here. Also, major credit to Stuart and Ingrid for their amazing work on the other events.

Sheree Folkson and Sally Philips of The Decoy Bride

Murray Grigor, producer of the documentary Big Banana Feet, which covers Billy Conolly’s 1976 Irish tour.

Step into the Blytheswood!
Tom , son of writer Sally Phillips  gets his front row seat for The Decoy Bride

Gala Champagne
Festival Co-director Allson Gardner during a tech for a Q & A

Murray Grigor introduces Big Banana Feet to a sold out Glasgow Festival Theatre

Queues rock the block on the opening gala of the GFF

The audience is listening – the premiere of My Sister’s Sister opens the first night of the GFF

Director Lynn Shelton during her Q & A for My Sister’s Sister

Wooden box woo the crowd at eh GFF gala

Guests at the Gala

And of course once theres a tambourine on the go how can I not make a cameo?

Say hello to the band! Corinne on cowbell and The Barman, on the wine.

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