Welcome to the 15th edition of GSFF! We are back in venues for the first time in three years and delighted to be bringing programmes of home-grown and international cinema to Glasgow, between 23-27 March. Alongside the previously announced Scottish and International Competition selections, GSFF22 will show programmes of films that hold revolution in subtle and grand ideas; films that reflect on our futures, that demand active engagement and a belief in the potential of cinema for collective good. Watch our festival trailer below and then keep scrolling to read about some programme highlights.
Our opening gala is something quite special: the UK premiere of Greek animator Aristotelis Maragkos’s THE TIMEKEEPERS OF ETERNITY, a collage remix of a forgotten 1990s Stephen King TV mini-series. By re-editing the narrative, printing and animating each frame, Maragkos has created a hypnotic black and white paper nightmare.
We present a programme of four titles from the 1960s by revolutionary Cuban filmmaker SANTIAGO ÁLVAREZ, whose influential agitprop ‘nervous montage’ documentaries connect global liberation struggles. Screening from 35mm, this is a rare chance to see some of the few Álvarez films that have been preserved and are still available to the public.
Also from the revolutionary archives, we show three episodes from the avant-garde KINO-PRAVDA (translated as “film truth”) newsreel series, which was launched exactly a century ago by Dziga Vertov, and was to have huge influence on subsequent trends in global cinema. The films are curated and co-presented by FEKK Short Film Festival (Slovenia) and will be live scored by Scottish musician Gerard Black. GSFF22’s official media partner, The Skinny, is supporting this programme and we’re delighted that a DJ set by Junglehussi will follow the event.
CAMILLE & ULYSSE is a 45-minute hybrid documentary by Spanish filmmaker Diana Toucedo, staging readings by philosophers Donna Haraway and Vinciane Despret, who with ‘The Camille Stories’ tell intertwined tales of the first generations of communities of humans and non-humans, the communities of compost. This UK Premiere brings speculative fiction, surreal animation and reflections on hope and potential in an increasingly uncertain future.
A feature documentary sneaks into the programme with Sundance award winner ALL LIGHT, EVERYWHERE by Theo Anthony, which has been making waves on the festival circuit this past year. Drawing connections between colonial photographic methodologies of the 19th century and modern police technologies in Baltimore, the film questions and reimagines the very idea of the ‘objective lens’, positioning the camera as a weapon for both the oppressors and the oppressed.
Katie Goh, author of THE END: Surviving the World Through Imagined Disasters (and GSFF’s Marketing Manager!) explores how shorts deal with apocalyptic narratives, while Ane Lopez from A+E Collective has curated the strand ECO-SPECTRALITY, which asks how we attune to the spatial and aural vibrations of the more-than-human, and invokes other worlds in the making through different ecological encounters. We also present TECHNO-FIX, two programmes that explore relationships between technological developments, state control, surveillance and colonialism, as well as ideas of progress and preservation.
To mark Scotland’s Year of Stories, we revisit rarely seen early shorts by the likes of David Mackenzie and Peter Mullan. In YOU’VE BEEN TELT: SCOTTISH FILM STORIES, six films tackle themes of storytelling head on, subverting folk tales, theatrical forms and cinematic genres with wry self-awareness and caustic humour.
We’re pleased to welcome back regular programme partners LUX Scotland with the Scottish premiere of their DWOSKIN COMMISSIONS, and from Thailand comes 2021’s Bill Douglas Award winner RATCHAPOOM BOONBUNCHACHOKE for a conversation about his work and its explorations of his country’s colonial history.
Regular GSFF strands will also return. A new selection of EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY nominated films brings critically acclaimed titles from across Europe to UK audiences, while GSFF’s ever-popular FAMILY SHORTS is presented as two programmes: one suitable for all ages and one suitable for over 7s. Meanwhile, SCARED SHORTLESS and FOR SHORTS & GIGGLES should satisfy your hunger for late-night thrills and laughs. We’re also delighted to host the inaugural YOUNG SCOTTISH FILMMAKERS PRIZE, in partnership with Glasgow Film and Eden Court Cinema, celebrating new talent aged 18-25.
Nearly all of GSFF22 programmes will be captioned for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences and all Scottish Competition Q&As will be BSL interpreted. Ticket prices at GSFF22 are set according to a Pay What You Can sliding scale, in order to make our events more accessible. Sliding scale tiers for most events are £2 – £4 – £6 – £8. Tickets are now on sale and can be booked through our website.
The Scottish and International competitions will be available online and on demand for the duration of the festival, as will Scottish Film Stories and the comedy, horror and family programmes. Online festival passes will be available to anyone in the UK, also on a Pay What You Can sliding scale. One payment offers unlimited on demand access to all online screenings for the duration of the festival. Sliding scale tiers are £7 – £9 – £11 – £14.
The GSFF22 programmes will be accompanied by industry and social events, mostly taking place in the Civic House festival hub. The programme of industry events – free and open to all – will be announced on 7 March 2022. Fans of the GSFF Podcast will also return on the lead-up to the festival. Stay tuned for more on that soon!
Explore the full GSFF22 programme and book tickets here.
