Since its launch in 2005, the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) has grown to become one of the cultural highlights of Scotland’s early Spring calendar. The event attracts filmmakers, fans, and actors from around the world.
Based at the Art Deco Glasgow Film Theatre, the 2022 edition runs from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 13 March. Partner screenings will be shown at selected venues across the city and via the online player Glasgow Film at Home. This year, for the first time ever, cinemas across the UK will also take part in the screenings.
Cinema for all
The festival has a long tradition of championing new talent and ensuring that the very best films from the annual submissions have a platform.
With its ongoing theme of ‘Cinema For All’, the festival aims to make a positive impact on audiences. By sharing untold stories, and amplifying marginalised voices, the festival helps us all better understand the world around us.
A key part of this is improving physical accessibility and provisions. Audio described and captioned screenings are scheduled for the visually and hearing impaired, and special dementia-friendly and autism-friendly screenings are also included in this year's programme.
Competing voices
GFF also continues to champion international female talent behind the camera. This year, 40% of new films screening at the festival and 6 of the 7 Audience Award films have a female director.
Other highlights this year include African Stories - a collection of nine contemporary films celebrating the people, history, and culture in some of the 54 countries in Africa, and ‘Winds of Change’, a series of free retrospective screenings, featuring films made in 1962.
Each of the ‘Winds of Change’ screenings will have a special introduction from GFF Co-Director Allan Hunter.
GFF22 will also be running a New Talent Mentorship Scheme for emerging professionals. It is open to anyone living in Scotland, wanting to work in film, television, or animation, from backgrounds currently unrepresented in the industry.
Back to reality...
GFF22 will incorporate a hybrid programme of digital and in-person events. Screenings will still be available online, but this year is all about welcoming audiences back to the Glasgow Film Theatre to share the authentic cinema experience.
Welcoming audiences old and new to the 2022 Glasgow Film Festival is a source of great joy and not a little relief. We have all missed that sense of community and discovery you experience at a festival.”
Running thought GFF22 will be a host of industry masterclasses, events, workshops, and talks featuring British and European filmmakers. The festival will even host an exclusive screening of the first episode in the latest season of the global hit show ‘Outlander’.
The main attractions
Highlights include the gala opening screening of ‘The Outfit’, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game). The Chicago-set period thriller stars Mark Rylance as a humble tailor who gets caught up with local mobsters.
Closing the festival will be female director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s ‘Murina’, a tense drama set by the Adriatic Sea. The much-anticipated film won the Caméra d’Or prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival.
Following on from the festival’s involvement in last year’s COP26 summit, there will also be workshops and talks discussing climate change, green filmmaking, and how the industry can play its part in mitigating global inequalities and aiding a just transition.
Welcome to all!
"I can’t begin to describe our joy at being able to have our loyal, committed and fun audiences back to the festival. The team have worked incredibly hard to pull together a unique and wonderful programme to enjoy.
Grab a bag of popcorn, take your seat, dim the lights, the films are about to begin…
GFF is run by Glasgow Film, the charity that also runs Glasgow Film Theatre. GFF is supported by Screen Scotland, the British Film Institute, Glasgow Life, and EventScotland.
For the full GFF22 programme, visit What's on at Glasgow Film Festival | Glasgow Film Theatre