The Glasgow Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 21st edition this year and will host Glasgow-born Hollywood star James McAvoy to look back on his career during an “In Conversation” event.
“Across 12 packed days, Scotland’s largest annual celebration of cinema will showcase 92 world, U.K. and Scottish premieres from 39 countries,” including 12 world premieres, organizers said on Tuesday.
The gala world premiere of survival thriller Tornado, the sophomore feature from Scottish director John Maclean (Slow West), will open the fest on Feb. 26. “Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, Tornado (played by model-songwriter Kōki,) finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father’s traveling puppet show crosses paths with a ruthless criminal gang led by Sugarman (Pulp Fiction star Tim Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden),” says a plot summary. “In an attempt to create a new life, Tornado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold from the gang’s most recent heist; what follows is a thrilling tale of adrenaline-fueled action as Tornado fights to escape a violent demise.” Lionsgate U.K. will release the film across the U.K. from May 23.
The Glasgow fest will close on March 9 with the world premiere of Scottish documentary-maker Martyn Robertson’s Make It to Munich, shot in the run-up to the Euro 2024 soccer tournament.
The movie follows Ethan Walker, “a promising teenage footballer from Aberdeenshire who, just months into a (soccer) scholarship at a USA university, suffers life-threatening injuries (including multiple fractures, two brain hemorrhages and the complete dislocation of his right knee) in a road traffic accident,” according to a synopsis. “Aided in his recovery by pioneering Glasgow surgeon … Professor Gordon Mackay, Ethan decides to cycle from Hampden to Munich for Scotland’s opening match against Germany in Euro 2024 – just nine months after his accident.” And he is entrusted by the Scotland National team to carry the match pennant on his back for the whole journey and deliver it in time for kick-off.
Make It to Munich, courtesy of Glasgow Film Festival
Among the U.K. premieres set for the Glasgow fest is The Return, which sees The English Patient stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche reunite in a new version of Homer’s Odyssey, while its Scotland premieres include The Extraordinary Miss Flower, the new performance film from Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the duo behind 20,000 Days on Earth, that premiered in London late last year.
Other Scottish premieres include Scottish folk horror movie Harvest by, Joshua Oppenheimer’s post-apocalyptic musical satire The End with Tilda Swinton and George Mackay, and Nicolas Cage in trippy psychological thriller The Surfer.
And three-part TV series Fear, written by Mick Ford and directed by Justin Chadwick, adapted from the Dirk Kurbjuweit stalking thriller novel of the same name, will also screen at the fest since it was shot in the city.
Meanwhile, Glasgow will also feature the “From the Heart of Europe: Austria on Screen” program, showcasing “an eclectic mix, from hard-hitting drama to absurdist comedy,” from Austria, including Michael Haneke films.
It will be the final edition overseen by Allison Gardner, CEO of Glasgow Film and director of the festival.
“This year’s GFF program is a very clear demonstration of the festival’s importance to the local industry, connecting our films and talent to the rest of the world and introducing world-class cinema to audiences in Glasgow, across Scotland and the rest of the U.K.,” said Isabel Davis, executive director at Screen Scotland. “Once again Scottish talent is strongly showcased throughout the program, including John Maclean’s Tornado, Laura Carreira’s On Falling, and Glasgow-shot Fear, directed by Justin Chadwick, starring Martin Compston.”
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