Scottish Screenings: November
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Date
27th October 2023
From Cuban animation to hotly anticipated new features, there’s plenty of opportunities be part of the cinema conversation this month.
With spooky season amongst us, and the twinkling lights glimmering in the distance, it’s the perfect time to cosy up in the cinema. Don’t miss: meditations on workers rights from Havana to Glasgow; fascinating guests celebrating Powell and Pressburger in Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness and Dumfries; a host of hotly anticipated new titles at Inverness Film Festival; unmissable documentaries and industry events in the heart of beautiful Stirling at Central Scotland Documentary Film Festival; and much, much more!
Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2023 | 26 October – 5 November | Summerhall
Edinburgh Short Film Festival (ESFF) launches a programme of outstanding short films from across the globe for its 2023 edition.
This year’s special guest programmes includes a European Film Festivals Showcase, plus a Low-Budget Filmmaking Workshop, presented with GMAC. Their Perseverance strand will show an array of international films, from a body positive Scottish comedy to a multi-award-winning Moroccan thriller. Plus, they’re hosting screenings with Glasgow Media Access Centre, including shorts commissioned via GMAC’s ‘Little Pictures’ programme and some ESFF filmmakers to watch out for.
CinemaAttic: Sal si puedes / Get Out if You Can: A Night of Spooky Colombian Short Films | Wednesday 1 November | CCA, Glasgow
CinemaAttic‘s Halloween-themed programme of shorts reveals how Colombian filmmakers transpose thriller and horror to the screen. The programme has been curated to reflect the many faces of this syncretic holiday, which in Colombia reshaped the Christian festivities of All Saints and All Souls, following the invasion of the Spanish in the 16th century.
Reclaim the Frame: How to Have Sex + Panel | Wednesday 1 November | The Cameo, Edinburgh
Reclaim the Frame presents How to Have Sex, winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and a vibrant and authentic depiction of the agonies, ecstasies and ride-or-die glory of young female friendship, from rising British filmmaker Molly Manning Walker.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion with award-winning journalist, content creator & sex educator Sophia Smith Galer and culture & lifestyle writer Billie Walker for a discussion on female friendships, female pleasure, and consent.
World of Film International Festival 2023 | 2-5 November | Various venues, Glasgow
World of Film International Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with a programme including films from Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and Venice, alongside shorts, family films, networking, workshops and talks.
The opening night presents two highly anticipated titles: Inside, with Willem Dafoe, and Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex. Scottish short, The Singer, will also screen at the opening, accompanied by the stars of the film performing its theme song. The ‘Reel Tasty’ Experiences – combining films with a curated tasting menu – also return.
Havana Glasgow Film Festival 2023 | 15 – 23 November | CCA / GFT / Birnam Arts / Birks Cinema
This year, Havana Glasgow Film Festival will celebrate the real and imaginary worlds of Cuban culture, with a focus on animation. Animator Ivette Ávila Martín will present ‘A History of Cuban Animation,’ featuring premiers and shorts from award-winning animators. Social injustices in Glasgow and Cuba are explored in a screening of Red Skirts on Clydeside and Mi Aporte/My Contribution, followed by a panel discussion celebrating the historic agreement between Glasgow Film Theatre and Unite Hospitality.
Plus, ‘Feminist Filmmaking’ presents short films by women in Cuba, Spain and Glasgow, in collaboration with Iberodocs. They have partnered with two venues, the Birks and Birnam Arts, to bring Cuban Bees: The Organic Revolution and La Super/Supergal (plus Q&A and salsa dancing!) to Perthshire.
Inverness Film Festival 2023 | 3 – 9 November | Eden Court Highlands
Inverness Film Festival’s 2023 edition presents a packed line-up of films fresh from the international circuit – alongside Q&A screenings, short films, New World Cinema and Industry Events for young people. Opening night film, Loch Ness: They Created a Monster sits alongside highly anticipated titles How to Have Sex, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, The Bikeriders (pictured above), Anatomy of a Fall, All of Us Strangers and Poor Things.
The Industry Events, presented in partnership with BFI Film Academy, offer free panels, workshops and talks for young people aged 15-26.
Cinetopia:DOC | Thursday 2 November | The Cameo, Edinburgh
This autumn Cinetopia relaunches Cinetopia:DOC, a monthly programme dedicated to documentary film. In November and December, Cinetopia:DOC presents Portrait of the Artist (as a Young Woman), a programme of two recent documentary films offering modern portraits of women striving to find their place in the art world. The strand begins with a preview of Paul Sng’s documentary TISH, plus Q&A with the director, alongside Lea Glob’s APOLONIA, APOLONIA. Both films follow female artists who use(d) artistic methods as a tool of political empowerment.
Central Scotland Documentary Film Festival | 2 – 6 November | Macrobert Arts Centre
This year’s Central Scotland Documentary Film Festival will host 30 screenings, including one World, three European, four UK and ten Scottish Premieres, with 15 films competing for their Audience and Jury awards. In addition to their home at the Macrobert Arts Centre, they will welcome The Engine Shed and Moviehouse Plean as additional screening venues.
Films include Is There Anybody Out There?, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, Tish and Your Fat Friend. Plus, the festival is a hub for those involved in filmmaking – or would like to be. All Industry Events are free and are a great way to develop your skills and network with industry professionals. Don’t miss a Masterclass with documentary filmmaker David Wilkinson and an Industry Panel on Finding Your Story.
Powell and Pressburger films return to Scottish screens | October – January | Various venues
Scottish cinemas are hosting screenings across the country as part of the BFI’s major new season celebrating the work of legendary filmmaking duo, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and their special connection to Scotland.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Eden Court Theatre, Screen Argyll, the Hippodrome and more will mark the season with curated events featuring special guests, or in memorable locations from the films. Don’t miss a host of exciting guests at Glasgow Film Theatre and Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), including film writer Pamela Hutchinson, Invisible Women and Emeric Pressburger’s grandsons, Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald and Trainspotting producer Andrew Macdonald. Plus, coinciding with her new exhibition at DCA, visual artist Michelle Williams Gamaker will present The Thief of Bagdad and Black Narcissus accompanied by her own short films, The Eternal Return and House of Women.