David Farnor | On 14, Jan 2021

The Glasgow Film Festival will officially go online for 2021, with 49 UK premieres, 3 European premieres and 10 world premieres set to stream.

Running from 24th February until 7th March, the festival will open with Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, starring Steven Yeun, and close with Suzanne Lindon’s debut feature Spring Blossom.

The films

The line-up in between includes Anthony Baxter’s Eye of the Storm, Creation Stories written by Irvine Welsh, The Mauritanian directed by Kevin Macdonald, The Toll starring Michael Smiley and Sundance award winner Surge starring Ben Whishaw.

Documentaries will range from Fred Wiseman’s City Hall to My Favourite War from director Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen. A new collaboration with Shanghai Film Festival will bring Back to the Wharf from director Xiaofeng Li and Spring Tide from director Yang Lina to our screens. Other international titles include Black Bear starring Aubrey Plaza, Anders Thomas Jensen’s Riders of Justice starring Mads Mikkelsen, Berlin Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil and Anna Kerrigan’s Tribeca award-winning debut Cowboys.

And there’ll be a focus on South Korea, with five UK premieres including Jung-eun Lim’s Our Midnight, Eui-jeong Hong’s Voices of Silence, Jae-Hoon Choi’s The Swordsman, Chan-yang Shim’s Da Capo and Min-ho Woo’s The Man Standing Next.

In competition will be six titles for the audience award, including Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo starring Noémie Merlant from Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Marly Morrison’s Sweetheart, Lili Horvát’s Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Shorta from directors Anders Ølholm and Frederik Louis Hviid, Redemptions of a Rogue from playwright Philip Doherty and documentary Castro’s Spies from directors Ollie Aslin and Gary Lennon.

FrightFest will also return to Glasgow Film Festival with a special online event running in March – you can see the full line-up for that here.

For our picks of 21 films to stream, click here.

How it works

The festival will stream on Glasgow Film’s new streaming service, Glasgow Film at Home, which is compatible with web browsers plus iOS and Android devices through the SHIFT72 app, which supports Chromecast and Airplay. Titles will be available to rent for a specified, limited time window – and another variable window to finish watching (or rewatching) a film once you’ve started to play it. Visit athome.glasgowfilm.org to create an account.

Tickets

All Glasgow Film Festival films will cost £9.99 each, but there will be bundles available for certain themed groups.

A South Korea bundle (£46) will include Voice of Silence, The Swordsman, Da Capo, The Man Standing Next and Our Midnight.

The Audience ward bundle (£54) will include Jumbo, Castro’s Spies, Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Redemption of a Rogue, Shorta and Sweetheart.

A Scottish bundle (£54) will include Iorram (Boat Song), Limbo, Yer Old Faither, Eye of the Storm, Killing Escobar and Creation Stories.

A FrightFest Glasgow bundle (£54) will include The Woman with Leopard Shoes, The Old Ways, Run Hide Fight, Vicious Fun, American Badger and Out of the World.

Tickets are now on sale – book them here.

Films still available to stream

City Hall (N/C 12+) – 1pm
Available: 5-8 March

Fred Wiseman’s portrait of Boston’s city government is a love letter to civic responsibility and democratic values. Read our review

The Woman with Leopard Shoes (N/C 18+) – 4pm
Available: 5-8 March

Alexis Bruchon’s impressively old school yet ultra-modern noir thriller that twists, turns and twists again. Read our review

Tina (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 5-8 March
The ultimate celebration of a global superstar and an intimate portrait of a woman who overcame extreme adversity to define her career, her identity and her legacy on her own terms. Directed by Academy Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin (Undefeated, LA 92), Tina is the ultimate story of survival.

Rosa’s Wedding (N/C 12+) – 6.15pm
Available: 5-8 March

​The latest film from Icíar Bollaín is the feel-good comedy that we all need right now.

The Old Ways (N/C 18+) – 6.30pm
5-8 March

Cristina, a journalist of Mexican origins, travels to the home of her ancestors in Veracruz to investigate a story involving sorcery, witchcraft and healers. Read our review

Surge (N/C 18+) – 8.30pm
Available: 5-8 March

​B​en Whishaw gives an award-winning performance as a man careering towards a breakdown in Surge. Read our review

First Cow (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 5-8 March

The latest from Kelly Reichardt follows loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) as he travels west and joins a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, but he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune.

Run Hide Fight (N/C 18+) – 8.45pm
Available: 5-8 March

It’s High School Die Hard as Zoe uses her survival skills to outsmart the killers.​ Read our review

Dreams on Fire (N/C 15+) – 1pm
Available: 6-9 March

Dreams on Fire is a vibrant and intoxicating look into Japanese dance and subculture communities.

The Dissident (N/C 15+) – 1.15pm
Available: 6-9 March

The murder of Saudi Arabia-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 is the focus of this new documentary from Icarus director Bryan Fogel. Read our review

Vicious Fun (N/C 18+) – 3.45pm
Available: 6-9 March

With its terrific balance of horror and humour, Cody Calahan’s nostalgia-fest is both vicious and fun.

Yer Old Faither (N/C 12+) – 4pm
Available: 6-9 March

An affectionate documentary about an extraordinary Glaswegian.

American Badger (N/C 18+) – 6.15pm
Available: 6-9 March

FrightFest present this gritty and turbo-driven hard action thriller. Read our review

A Brixton Tale (N/C 15+) – 6.30pm
Available: 6-9 March
A star-crossed romance confronting class, race and love in modern Britain.

Cowboys (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 6-9 March

Anna Kerrigan’s award-winning debut, starring Steve Zahn as a dad on a camping trip with his transgender son (Sasha Knight), shows a rare understanding of the complexities and challenges of modern family life.

Out of the World (N/C 18+) – 8.45pm
Available: 6-9 March

The very private Leo has issues communicating with others due to past trauma and only lives for his music

There is No Evil (N/C 15+) – 1pm
Available: 7-10 March

​Winner of a Berlin Golden Bear, Mohammad Rasoulof’s brilliant anthology powerfully confronts the realities of life under an autocratic regime.

Gunda (N/C 12+) – 4pm
Available: 7-10 March

Aquarela director Viktor Kossakovsky turns his eye from water to pigs in this immersive farmyard documentary.

The Man Standing Next (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 7-10 March

​South Korea’s Oscar candidate uses the final days of President Park Chung-hee’s rule in 1979 as the basis of a tense conspiracy thriller.

Killing Escobar (N/C 15+) – 6.15pm
Available: 7-10 March

The untold story of the attempted assassination of Pablo Escobar.

Spring Blossom (N/C 12+) – 8.30pm
Available: 7-10 March

Suzanne Lindon’s remarkably assured directorial debut will close Glasgow Film Festival 2021.

The full schedule

Minari (N/C 15+) – 7pm
Available: 24-27 February

Glasgow Film Festival 2021 opens with Lee Isaac Chung’s highly anticipated Minari, starring Steven Yeun, a semi-autobiographical drama about a Korean American family weathering all of life’s joys and sorrows in the 1980s. Read our review

Creation Stories (N/C 18+) – 8.30pm
Available: 24-27 February

Creation Stories charts the rise of one young Glaswegian who went on to change the face of British culture while navigating a sea of obstacles. Read our review

In the Shadows (N/C 15+) – 1pm
Available: 25-28 February

​Erdem Tepegöz’s dystopian vision invites comparisons with the worlds of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terry Gilliam when a Miner contracts a mysterious disease.

Spring Tide (N/C 12+) – 3.15pm
Available: 25-28 February

In an explosive atmosphere of conflicting memories and competing values what will it take for one of them to declare a truce?​

Mekong 2030 (N/C 15+) – 5.45pm
Available: 25-28 February

Five Southeast Asian filmmakers present their visions and fears for the future

My Favorite War (N/C 12+) – 6.15pm
Available: 25-28 February

Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen grew up in Latvia during the Soviet rule of the 1970s and 1980s

The Mauritanian (N/C 15+) – 8pm
Available: 25-28 February

Justice seems an impossible dream in The Mauritanian, Kevin Macdonald’s powerful adaptation of Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s bestselling memoir starring Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch. Read our review

The Toll (N/C 18+) – 8.30pm
Available: 25-28 February

​This Welsh thriller mixes the dark comedy of the Coen Brothers with the antihero of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns.

My Wonderful Wanda (N/C 15+) – 1pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

A privileged family find their comfortable lives forever changed by a stranger in their midst

Steelers (N/C 12+) – 1.15pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

Who says you can’t be an ace rugby player and a fabulous drag queen? Read our review

Murmur (N/C 12+) – 3.30pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

Hailed as a ‘masterpiece of poignancy’ Heather Young’s quietly devastating debut offers an acutely observed portrait of a lonely life.

Bridging the Gap – Turbulence (N/C 18+) – 3.45pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

Four shorts from Scottish Documentary Institute’s emerging talent initiative Bridging the Gap

The Last Ones (N/C 12+) – 6pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

Selected as Estonia’s entry for the International Feature Film category of the Oscars, watch rivalries boil over into betrayal, violence and a fight for survival.

Castro’s Spies (N/C 12+) – 6.15pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

A documentary about an elite group of undercover agents that is as tense as any John le Carré novel.

Riders of Justice (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

Anders Thomas Jensen and Mads Mikkelsen reunite for this tale of black comedy and shocking violence. Read our review

Undergods (N/C 18+) – 8.45pm
Available: 26 February-1 March

A futuristic anthology film that will take you on an ill-fated journey through a dystopian Europe.

Father (N/C 15+) – 1pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

A father’s epic quest to regain custody of his children lies at the heart of this gripping, emotional drama.

Da Capo (N/C 12+) – 1.15pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

For fans of Sing Street and School of Rock, Da Capo is a tale full of warmth and hope that music lovers of all kinds will connect with.

Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché (N/C 12+) – 3.30pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

Proclaimed by Billboard as ‘one of the least conventional front-persons in rock history’, Poly Styrene hit the headlines as founder of acclaimed punk band.

Poppy Field (N/C 15+) – 3.45pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

Inspired by true events, this is a taut, compelling tale of prejudice and the cost of living a lie.

Underplayed (N/C 8+) – 6pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

An intimate and revealing look at the personal journeys of many talented and vibrant women making their mark within the electronic music scene.

Jumbo (N/C 15+) – 6.15pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

A quirky charmer of a debut from Zoé Wittock, ‘inspired’ by a true story about love and understanding.

Black Bear (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

Lawrence Michael Levine’s disturbing, darkly comic tale constantly surprises as it brutally blurs the boundaries between life and art. Read our review

Redemption of a Rogue (N/C 15+) – 8.45pm
Available: 27 February-2 March

The wonderful first feature from award-winning playwright Philip Doherty squeezes tar-black comedy and soulful reflections from an irresistible Groundhog Day-style premise. Read our review

Victim(s) (N/C 12+) – 1pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

A compelling account of teenage knife crime and a society keen to judge rather than understand.

Handsome (N/C 12+) – 1.15pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

A moving, sometimes uncomfortable documentary that takes an honest look at the brother’s relationship.

The Swordsman (N/C 15+) – 3.30pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

A wonderful blend of epic fight scenes and heartfelt drama that is sure to have you hooked right up until its exhilarating climax.

Iorram (Boat Song) (N/C 12+) – 3.45pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

A lyrical portrait of Gaelic life in the Outer Hebrides.

Apples (N/C 12+) – 6pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

Any fan of Charlie Kaufman or Yorgos Lanthimos will love this haunting first feature from director Christos Nikou.

Eye of the Storm (N/C 8+) – 6.15pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

Anthony Baxter filmed painter James Morrison over the last two years of his life as he struggled with failing eyesight and poor health. Read our review

Shorta (N/C 15+) – 8.15pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

An intelligent nail-biter of a film.

Enemies of the State (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 28 February-3 March

An American family becomes entangled in secrets when their son is targeted by the government.

Truman & Tennessee (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 1-4 March

This poignant documentary captures the relationship between two literary giants that journeyed from fond regard to bitchy disdain and back again. Read our review

Back to the Wharf (N/C 12+) – 8.30pm
Available: 1-4 March

The extraordinary events of one day reverberate down the years in Li Xiaofeng’s haunting noir-tinged drama.

BIG vs SMALL (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 2-5 March

An energetic and inspirational documentary that profiles Joana Andrade, Portugal’s first female big wave surfer.

Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 2-5 March

A multi-layered rumination on love, fate and the blurry lines between desire, obsession and reality. Read our review

Sweetheart (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 3-6 March

A sharply observed coming-of-age story that will make you wince and laugh in painful recognition of universal truths.

The Masque of the Red Death (15) – 6pm
Available: 3-6 March

Grand guignol at its finest, The Masque Of the Red Death is the best of the acclaimed Edgar Allan Poe adaptations that united Vincent Price with legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. This restored copy includes a Q&A with Corman.

Limbo (N/C 15+) – 8pm
Available: 3-6 March

Ben Sharrock’s critically adored Limbo is a wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire. Read our review

Voice of Silence (N/C 15+) – 6pm
Available: 4-7 March

A beautifully shot, bittersweet crime caper with an award-winning performance from Burning’s Yoo Ah-in.

Gagarine (N/C 12+) – 6.15pm
Available: 4-7 March

A joyful celebration of community, love and shooting for the stars.

Wildland (N/C 15+) – 8.30pm
Available: 4-7 March

A dark, chilling crime drama that marks director Jeanette Nordahl as a talent to watch. Read our review

Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give Up (N/C 15+)- 5pm
Available: 6 March

This free screening at 5pm (and not available on-demand afterwards) is an in-depth documentary about football managing legend Sir Alex Ferguson, made by his son, Jason.

 

Glasgow Film Festival launches streaming service

11th November 2020

Glasgow Film Festival will return in 2021 with a new hybrid format – and is launching its own streaming service to go with it.

The 17th edition of the festival will run from 24th February to 7th March 2021, combining in-cinema screenings at GFF’s home, Glasgow Film Theatre, alongside a new online streaming platform, Glasgow Film At Home.

The platform will be live all year round, launching on 23rd November this year. It will bring a Best of the Fest programme straight to audiences at home. It will offer four films that were big hits at GFF 2020: Audience Award Winner Arracht from director Tom Sullivan, set during the desperate times of the 1840s Irish potato famine; Runar Runarsson’s Echo, which was part of the Icelandic Country Focus and explores a fragmented society at Christmas time; The Long Walk from director Mattie Do, which follows a Laotian hermit who travels back in time; and Matthew Rankin’s wildly inventive and highly stylised faux-biopic The Twentieth Century.

GFF 2020, held in February and March this year, had record audiences with more than 43,000 admissions, and its new platform aims to welcome back fans from across the country during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Allison Gardner, Glasgow Film CEO and Co-Director of Glasgow Film Festival, says: “We are delighted to be bringing Glasgow Film Festival back in 2021 in as safe as possible a way. GFF has always been a festival for audiences and, though our festival must take a different shape this year, our audiences are still at the heart of everything we do. Glasgow Film at Home and our new branding will invite GFF straight into your living room, and the Best of the Fest programme will give a taster of what’s to come and share incredible cinema with audiences all around Scotland and the UK this November.”

Allan Hunter, Glasgow Film Festival Co-Director, adds: “We are very excited to share the dates of the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival and give everyone a glimpse of what lies ahead. It cannot be business as usual but we promise a festival of exciting UK premieres from around the world. The power of film to entertain, illuminate and move us has never felt more necessary. The launch of Glasgow Film At Home and the Best Of The Fest programme will allow a much wider audience access to the cherished Glasgow experience.”

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