Posted by Evrim Ersoy Feb 14, 2010, 12:58 GMT
Although the weather might be freezing and the economy still in dire straits, there is still the promise of good cinema to keep our spirits up.
In this vein, 2010 Glasgow Film Festival promises to be one of the most exciting events in the U.K. with not only a terrific line-up but also side events and special guests.
The Festival will be opening on the 18th of February with a gala screening of Micmacs, the latest delight from Amélie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet starring France's hottest comedy talent Danny Boon. A hilarious tale of outrageous injustice and ingenious revenge, it features a star-studded cast of French greats that includes Andre Dussolier, Yolande Moreau, Dominique Pinon and Jean-Pierre Marielle.Funded by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Scottish Screen and the Glasgow Film Theatre, the full Festival programme is filled with big name stars in must-see films. Scottish Oscar-winner, Tilda Swinton, plays a stylish, enigmatic matriarch in the UK premiere of I Am Love, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the past year. Nicolas Cage gives an unforgettable performance in Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Shirley Henderson and Charlotte Rampling lead a stellar ensemble in Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime. Robert De Niro heads an all-star cast in Kirk Jones Everybody's Fine. Maggie Smith and Dominic West appear in Julian Fellowes’ From Time To Time. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon star in The Greatest. Til Schweiger returns in the international premiere of Rabbit Without Ears 2 and Drew Barrymore turns director for the rollerskating romp Whip It!
This year also sees the return of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival Film which brings not only some of the best film premieres for young audiences but also interactive workshops and special events. 2010 promises to be the festival’s biggest year yet, with UK premieres of Gentlemen Broncos and Summerhood, workshops with E4’s Skins’ scriptwriter, Ben Schiffer and actor, Joe Dempsie, and a special appearance by Thomas Turgoose who will join director Tom Harper to celebrate the launch of their new film, The Scouting Book for Boys, on Thomas’ 18th birthday!
The 2010 Hollywood Star retrospective of the festival is devoted to the career of Cary Grant this year. The debonair star remains the gold standard for impeccable comic timing and tenderhearted romances and the Festival will screen a selection of his finest films including Bringing Up Baby (1938), Notorious (1946), An Affair To Remember (1957) and North By Northwest (1959).
The Festival's 2010 country focus is devoted to Japan with a programme celebrating some of the country's exciting new talents and paying tribute to Akira Kurosawa. The Festival will be screening a selection of films from Japan which will display a real taste of contemporary Japanese cinema and will range from from the stylish period thriller Zero Focus and the outlandish anime adaptation Yatterman by the most prolific and rock’n’roll of Japanese Directors Takashi Miike.
The 2010 Glasgow Film Festival is also bursting with mini-Festivals including the Glasgow Music & Film Festival, the Glasgow Short Film Festival, FashionArtFilm and the return of the hugely popular FrightFest to chill the spine and make the flesh creep.
FrightFest highlights include the world premiere of 2001 Maniacs: Field Of Screams, the eagerly-awaited (REC) 2, 1970s shocker A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and the UK premiere of Splice introduced by director Vincenzo Natali. The Festival will also be hosting the U.K Premiere of Adam Green’s ‘Frozen’ which has been one of the biggest hits of Sundance this year and is now taking U.S.A. by storm – the director will also be in attendance fresh from the set of his new film – Hatchet 2 – a sequel to the innovative slasher which made his name.
Scotland’s leading independent short film programmer, The Magic Lantern, returns with their Short Film Festival for a third year, for the first time introducing a Best International Short Film Award, judged by international filmmakers, Cynthia Beatt and Ray Tintori and acclaimed novelist, Louise Welsh, with all 33 invited filmmakers competing for a cash prize. An exciting second year of the Music & Film Festival, co-curated by The Arches, includes live performances from Parisian indie electronics and drum duo, Zombie Zombie who will be performing a specially commissioned set featuring the music of John Carpenter, legendary American experimental rock band Pere Ubu, and New York singer-songwriter Thomas Truax performing songs from the films of David Lynch. The programme is complemented by an eclectic mix of films including The Good Son; observations on the music of Nick Cave from Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Emmett Malloy’s White Stripes Under The Great Northern Lights, joining the White Stripes on their 2007 Canadian tour and Burning, a live concert film of Mogwai directed by Vincent Moon.
The Festival is also set to welcome a record number of guests to the city including the legendary James Earl Jones who will discuss a career in film that stretches from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1963) to Field Of Dreams (1989) and includes such landmark films as Conan The Barbarian (1981), Coming To America (1988), The Hunt For Red October (1990), his towering Oscar-nominated performance in The Great White Hope (1970) and his contribution to the Star Wars series as the voice of Darth Vader.
A wide-range of masterclasses and special events will also include appearance from Oscar-winning Scottish director Kevin Macdonald and Peter Mullan who holds a unique position in world cinema as the Cannes Best Actor winner for My Name Is Joe (1998) and the Venice Golden Lion recipient for The Magdalene Sisters (2002).The Festival will close on the 28th February with the taut psychological thriller Legacy from Glasgow film company Black Camel Picture and writer/director Thomas Ikimi. The film promises to be an ambigious exploration of the actions of one guilty soldier and his final possibility of redemption.
All in all , The Festival looks to be an unmissable event on the film calendar and will certainly be an amazing opportunity for film-goers to experience a wide variety of cinema. More information can be found on the Glasgow Film Festival website at http://www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk
