Scotland’s Spring Film Events

We’re spoilt for choice this Spring, with a host of brilliant film events taking place across Scotland.

The horizon is looking a little brighter this month, only in part thanks to the weather. Film festivals, community screenings and venues across the country are offering a slew of screenings for audiences to sink their teeth into.

From silent film to Catalan’s contemporary cinematic gems, we’ve rounded up a few of the highlights for your calendar:

Aberfeldy Film Festival
28 February – 2 March | The Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy

A weekend of cinema on the theme of youth and childhood will be on offer at this weekend’s Aberfeldy Film Festival, including Scrapper (2023), Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Boyhood (2014). Celebrate opening night with drinks and canapes for all festival goers before the film. Tickets for Under 18s are only £3. Donations from festival proceeds will be made to Children First.

Japan Touring Programme
February – March | Inverness, Dundee, Edinburgh

The UK’s biggest festival of Japanese cinema is back! Catch screenings at Eden Court (16 Feb – 31 Mar), Dundee Contemporary Arts (22 Feb-23 Mar) and the Cameo, Edinburgh (6-31 Mar). The varied lineup includes anime (Ghost Cat Anzu), classics (Carmen Comes Home) and contemporary Japanese cinema.

Glasgow Film Festival
26 February – 9 March

Glasgow Film Festival, Scotland’s largest celebration of film, is well underway. Last night’s Opening Gala, the world premiere of Scotland-set Tornado, drew a sold-out audience who were treated to a Q&A with director John Maclean and stars, including Tim Roth and Takehiro Hira.

GFF’s 21st edition boasts a packed programme of 92 World, UK and Scottish premieres from 39 countries. Plus, their Industry in Focus programme (3 – 6 March) is a hub of panel discussions, workshops and networking events for Scotland’s screen sector. GFF will also welcome Hollywood stars James McAvoy and Jessica Lange for two special In Conversation events, looking back at their glittering careers.

Paisley Screen: Radical and Independent Film Programme
January – March 2025 | Refractive, Renfrewshire

Paisley Screen is more than halfway through its Radical and Independent Film Programme, presenting a series of 12 independent feature films alongside 12 short film titles.

The programme has featured Alasdair Gray: A Life in Progress and post-screening Q&A with director Kevin Cameron on 31 January. Upcoming screenings include Andrea Arnold’s Bird, The Outrun and Edinburgh-set On Falling, all paired with short films.

Catalan Film Festival
8 – 20 March | Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Inverness

The Catalan Film Festival returns for its tenth edition, coming to cinemas across Scotland from 8 – 30 March.

Celebrating the creative moment currently taking place across Catalan cinema, the Catalan Film Festival has gathered together some of the most exciting new Catalan films, from award-winning features to the best short films. This year’s programme offers an exploration of family relationships, memory, and personal transformation. Expect the latest Catalan films, from award-winning features features to special guests, shorts and much more.

Glasgow Short Film Festival
19 – 23 March | Various venues

Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF) has announced the full programme for its 2025 edition, packed with international films alongside shorts exploring sex, grief and the multiverse. GSFF 2025 will open with The Disco: A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, Alex Hetherington’s sound and image paean to DJ Simon Eilbeck and his legendary queer club night Hot Mess.

GSFF 2025’s international programme includes a collaboration with Palestine collective the Gaza Film Unit, plus a spotlight on Indonesian filmmaker Riar Rizaldi. GSFF will also welcome Irish artist Frank Sweeney, who’ll present his award-winning short Few Can See. Plus, Welcome to the Multiverse returns, with Heather Bradshaw curating the weirdest and wildest world-building that animation has to offer.

HippFest 2025: Programme Announced
19 – 23 March | Hippodrome, Bo’ness

HippFest, Scotland’s film festival dedicated to silent film and live music, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.

The milestone edition will open with With Reindeer and Sled in Inka Länta’s Winterland, a naturalistic film about the indigenous people of Sweden: the Sami. The Friday Night Gala (dress code: Tartan or HippFest Glamour) takes us to Scotland via Hollywood with Maurice Tourneur’s The Pride of the Clan. The closing event will feature Victor Schertzinger’s little-seen Forgotten Faces (1928). Plus, there’s a spotlight on Alma Reville, the screenwriter and film editor who had a long collaboration with her husband, Alfred Hitchcock.

Local Cinema Network: Spring 2025 Programme
Until 26 March | Community venues across Edinburgh

The Local Cinema Network community cinema programme is back from January to March, taking place across a range of community spaces in Edinburgh. The screenings, programmed in collaboration with community members and groups, include contributions from a range of community cinema organisers who are at an early stage of development.

The majority of film screenings in the programme are available via a pay what you can sliding scale ticketing model, take place in accessible venues and are presented with descriptive subtitles in English, regardless of the film’s original spoken language.

Glasgow Film Theatre: Derek Jarman: Nature on Film
16 March – 27 April

This March, Glasgow Film Theatre is offering a rare chance to catch the work of Derek Jarman, one of the most influential and original filmmakers of the past 50 years, on the big screen. Derek Jarman: Nature on Film has been programmed in collaboration with The Hunterian, University of Glasgow. The season offers a singular chance to see some of the most significant moving image works of this period in one-off screenings at GFT. The Last of England (1987), The Garden (1990) and Blue (1993) all reveal Jarman’s experimental approach to film, whilst Caravaggio (1986) is presented as part of GFT’s Queer Cinema Sunday’s programme.