Glasgow is not just, as of last year, the friendliest city in the UK, it is also staying ahead of the game in all things culture. It has become a dynamic cultural hotspot hosting a multitude of events every year. And this year is no exception. Glasgow’s film festivals are returning this year, bringing film buffs and filmmakers together and offering a range of films that perhaps you wouldn’t see everyday in your local cinema.
1. Glasgow Film Festival
If you’ve just accepted the fact that winter continues well over March and you’ve got no plans this month, fear not! GFF returns with 50+ films! It’s partnering up with cinemas all over the city, as well as other cities in the UK, to offer you a memorable movie watching experience. From French cinema classics to world premieres, this film festival has got your back.
📆 March 1-12
2. Glasgow Short Film Festival
This March don’t forget to check out Glasgow Short Film Festival. The GSFF is the largest competitive short film festival in Scotland!
Even though it’s mostly Scottish filmmakers that get to present their work on an international stage, this year’s focus is Lebanese films. The programme comprises incredibly entertaining films with characters from all walks of life, challenging conventional narratives.
📆 March 22-26
3. FrightFest
Horror movie haters beware! FrightFest is back! Perhaps not for the faint-hearted, this film festival offers an array of nail-biting horror films, including cult classics and new postmodern horror. You can catch Sebastian Godwin’s ‘Homebound‘, Jennifer Reeder’s ‘Night’s End’ and Chris Sivertson’s ‘Monstrous’. If you want to double the fun, follow FrightFest London, as well.
📆 March 9-11
4. GAMIS x FEN
Glasgow Artists’ Moving Image Studios is presenting for the week of International Women’s Day a programme of films revolving around the concept of family. It will include films by Meray Diner, commissioned by Feminist Exchange Network, and a series of shorts curated by Ania Mroczek.
📆 March 9
5. Scottish Queer International Film Festival
This year the Scottish Queer International Film Festival returns with a mini-series of events this October at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Glasgow. SQIFF offers an intersectional approach to filmmaking, putting topics like age, identity, race and ethnicity as definers of queer folk’s experiences. They also offer different workshops on all things queer culture, all accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
📅 October 15-21
6. Film and Comic Con Glasgow
Lastly, attention pop culture lovers! This July the mayhem ensues! The annual Film and Comic Con will offer a fun weekend to geek out and meet new people, from fellow fans to movie makers. Divided into two zones, the Cosplay Zone and the Comic Zone, you can choose which one to attend.
📆 July 22-23
7. LGBT+ History Month at GFT
This year’s LGBT+ History Month programme for GFT has passed us by already. Held right in the heart of Glasgow, audiences enjoyed screenings of ‘Blue Jean’, ‘Inspection’ and ‘Joyland’, films that dive into the lives of LGBT characters.
📌 Keep an eye out for the LGBT+ History Month at GFT next year!