Glasgow Film Festival 2012 Preview
Kapow and FrightFest events have us very interested indeed in the February festival.
Glasgow Film Festival kicks off for its eighth year this February. With sixteen venues across the city and a series of mini festivals, the event looks to be larger and more inclusive than ever.
Compromising 239 different films and events, the Film Festival runs from the 16 – 26th opening with the UK premier of Your Sister’s Sister, the latest from Lynn Shelton. Coming straight across from its Sundance screening, the film is sure to be eagerly anticipated, not least because Variety magazine named Lynn Shelton one of the ten directors to watch in 2012. Starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass the love story is set to begin the festival at a high standard.
GFF closes on the 26th with Le Havre from the Finnish filmmaker Aki Kavrismäkia. It has already been well recognised, winning the prestigious French award the Prix Louis Delluc alongside various other awards internationally. The films strength comes from the relationship between the two main characters - a shoeshine and a young African immigrant on the run from the authorities. Their friendship, tender and funny grounds the film’s action.
It is expected for the opening and closing acts for an event such as this to be quality pieces of cinema. The filling however does not look likely to disappoint.
This year boasts a record number of UK and European premieres, including Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy. Premiering in Glasgow rather than his native Edinburgh, Welsh has a bit of a following especially around these parts so this latest adaptation is bound to find itself well attended. The ever popular and once again local David Tennant stars alongside Kelly Macdonald in The Decoy Bride. Fans of Robert Pattinson are also in for a treat as he stars in the stylish period drama Bel Ami. A bonus for fans who have a hankering to see him in a feature length where he doesn’t sparkle.
Those who enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo may be interested in seeing Noomi Rapace in Baby Call, a film about a single mother running from an abusive husband, turning spooky when her baby monitor starts picking up supernatural sounds.
Continuing on a horror theme Film4’s Frightfest is back for its 7th year. The two day festival within a festival consists of 11 premiers starting with a documentary on the life and works of Rodger Corman. Spiralling into the more typical scary movie fare ranging from the post apocalyptic The Day to the slow burning hostage film Crawl, stopping off for military zombies, political conspiracy, a ‘slasher ghost story’ and a good old fashioned kill the teenagers flick among others.
The majority of the films in the Frightfest selection are American, there is however a nod to Europe with the Spanish film Penumbra which is said to create a sense of creeping paranoia and results, if the blurb is to be believed... in a fate worse than death. Italy is represented too with the sci-fi Wang’s Arrival created by the award winning team that is Antonio and Marco Manetti.
Padraig Reynolds, the first time director has been hailed as one to watch. His offering is Rites of Spring a horror of intertwining stories somehow combining a murderous lunatic’s 24 year ‘seasonal’ killing sprees with a planned kidnapping by a group of seemingly unrelated criminals, with horrific consequences. Gamers amongst us may find themselves at home with War of the Dead, which has been likened to Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies feature.
Rightly described as a festival of festivals, GFF is also hosting a three day Short Film Festival, a ten day Youth Film Festival and Kapow! Superheroes in Glagow.
Kapow is dedicated to all things comic and superhero. Somehow Mark Millar has managed to find the time to curate the event, he seems forever busy writing the Kick-Ass comics, the film selection ranges from Superman (1978) starring Christopher Reeve and Flash Gordon (1980), to independent productions such as Crumb a documentary on the famous comic artist Robert Crumb. Fans of original adaptations therefore are unlikely to be left disappointed. Kapow manages to stay away from anything overtly mainstream, there are no Ironman or Batman films for example, both of which have been recent box office successes.
Instead there are films such as Electric Man, described as impressive and with a ‘micro budget’ the film follows its stars on their journey to save their failing comic store. They unwittingly hold their saviour before them, a mint edition of a 1937 Electric Man comic. Another interesting option is Death of a Superhero, which follows fourteen year old cancer patient Donald as he recedes further into his own head, creating harrowing comics and surrounding himself with his own story.
Alongside the screenings there will be workshops and talks by Mark Millar as well as Frank Quitely, DC and Marvel artist, and Dave Gibbons, best known as the co-creator of Watchmen. There are workshops for those wanting to break into the industry, and others looking at the role of women within the industry itself. For those made nervous at the thought of all this geekery, there is more to Kapow than there may originally seem. For those still a little concerned, there is no obligation to turn up in fancy dress, though I’ll be surprised if no one embraces the spandex.
Glasgow Film Festival events start on 5 February with the Glasgow Youth Film Festival and wraps up on the 26th. Head to the official website here for ticketing information.
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