Cinescapes

A double bill of Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting launched a festival celebrating Scottish films in the locations that inspired them, supported by Film Hub Scotland Major Commissions funding.

Cinescapes Festival will run from July to October – with the finale a showing of Sylvain Chomet’s animated film ‘The Illusionist’ at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.

The hyper-local festival is also be available online – promoting interest in Scottish films and locations worldwide.

Cinescapes Festival will also include a showing of ‘Under the Skin’ in Glasgow in July, ‘Nae Pasaran’ in East Kilbride in August, an event featuring ‘Aquarela’ in Oban in September before ‘The Illusionist’ against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

Aquarela, (2019) directed by Viktor Kossakovsky which was called ‘the most dangerous film ever made’ is a documentary about the awesome and destructive power of water and will be staged beside the Atlantic in a free public screening at the McCaig Tower in the town.

Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club and co-producer of Cinescapes said: 

We are creating a series of interviews featuring directors, actors and people involved in each of the films. We are also putting together a visual guide to each of the areas the film is inspired by and long form podcasts. For the local audience Cinescapes Festival will be a community event, but for movie buffs around the world it will give a deep dive into the films and an insight into the landscapes that inspired them.

The festival is supported by Film Hub Scotland and the Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, which was set up by EventScotland in collaboration with the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s events sector plan and deliver events through to the end of 2021, and help it respond and adapt to the effects of the pandemic.

Originally the festival was planned as a winter event, which would use projections. However, because of lockdown delays and long Scottish summer days the films will mostly be shown on giant LED screens, rather than projected onto buildings and onto the landscape. Amanda Rogers said Cinescapes still plans to work with Leith-based Double Take Projections to create large-scale outdoor screenings in the future.

Paul Bush, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said:

“Events are an important part of our communities and EventScotland is delighted to be supporting Cinescapes Festival through Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund. Through innovation and creativity, local communities will be able to celebrate Scottish film in the locations that inspired them while those further afield can join in the fun online. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and supporting events, including Cinescapes Festival, is crucial in our recovery from the pandemic.”

www.cinescapes.co.uk
@cinescapesuk