Rose Glass’s romantic thriller Loves Lives Bleeding is set to open the 20th edition of Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) on February 28.
The UK filmmaker’s follow-up to Saint Maud stars Kristen Stewart as a gym owner who falls for a bodybuilder with criminal connections. The A24 feature will receive its UK premiere at Glasgow following its debut at Sundance earlier this month.
John Archer’s documentary Janey, about Scottish stand-up comedian Janey Godley as she embarks on her final tour following a terminal cancer diagnosis, will close the festival on March 10.
GFF has secured eight world premieres (see below for full list), three international and 69 UK premieres for its 20th edition.
Also among the world premieres are Lucy Cohen’s debut feature Edge Of Summer, about a mother and daughter whose holiday to Cornwall takes a dark turn, and Ciaran Lyons’ debut feature Tummy Monster, a black comedy starring Lorn Macdonald as a tattoo artist who becomes entangled in a psychological battle with a pop star.
Audience award
Further highlights of the upcoming festival include the UK premieres of Emma Westenberg’s Bleeding Love with father-daughter duo Ewan McGregor and Clara McGregor; Niclas Larsson’s Mother, Couth also starring Ewan McGregor alongside Rhys Ifans and Ellen Burstyn; Anthony Chen’s Drift with Cynthia Erivo; and Coup! from Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark.
As per previous years, the only competitive strand is the audience award, which is open to a first or second feature films. Among the eight-strong shortlist is Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt; Alan Friel’s psychological thriller Woken starring Maxine Peake and Erin Kellyman; and The Teacher from UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi.
Mortensen will also participate in an In Conversation at the festival on March 3 to discuss his career in front of and behind the camera. Also in attendance at the festival is filmmaker Ben Wheatley who will present a special screening of his debut feature Down Terrace followed by a Q&A.
Festival director Allison Gardner noted that last year’s Hollywood strikes “may have an impact on our guests”, due to delayed projects busying up production schedules.
Glasgow’s horror film festival, FrightFest, will run March 7-9 and comrpises 11 titles including two world premieres: Adam O’Brien’s Mom, starring Schitt Creek’s Emily Hampshire, and Tiago Teixeira’s Custom. FrightFest will open with the UK premiere of You’ll Never Find Me and close with Alan Scott Neal’s debut Last Straw.
This year, Glasgow received a record 400 submissions, almost three times as many as last year.
Previously announced for the festival is Czech as the country of focus and the addition of a new New Talent Mentorship scheme which includes filmmakers Charlotte Wells and Ben Sharrock among its mentors.
GFF world premieres
Edge Of Summer, dir. Lucy Cohen
Tummy Monster, dir. Ciaran Lyons
Float (series two), wri. Stef Smith
Janey, dir. John Archer
Custom, dir. Tiago Teixeira
Mom, dir. Adam O’Brien
Mouse, dir. Ewan J Fletcher
Subject 73, dir. Reiff Gaskell
Audience award shortlist
Milk Teeth, dir. Sophia Bösch
Falling Into Place, dir. Aylin Tezel
Hesitation Wound, dir. Selman Nacar
The Home Game, dirs. Smari Gunn and Logi Sigursveinsson
Martinez, dir. Lorena Padilla
The Teacher, dir. Farah Nabulsi
Woken, dir. Alan Friel
The Dead Don’t Hurt, dir. Viggo Mortensen
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