A highly regarded and anticipated event in the UK’s film calendar, Glasgow Film Festival has grown greatly in visibility and significance in recent years and has leapt into the top three film festivals in the UK. From just 6,000 attendances at its first outing in 2005 to over 43,000 attendances in 2020, the most successful event in the festival's 19-year history, GFF continues to grow and develop its international reputation.
GFF aims to become one of Europe’s top audience-focused film festivals, continuing to build a reputation for an international programme of the world’s best films alongside a dynamic fusion of cross-sector, screen-based events and commissions.
With the audience at the heart of GFF's ethos, the Festival is a result of like-minded people meeting to share ideas, always with the audience experience and response at the centre of the creative process. Proven innovators in cross-sectoral programming, GFF utilise the skills of Scottish artists and curators and the response from their distinctively critical audience to grow and develop the programme year on year.
GFF influences include: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and their partnership approach and as a 'festival of festivals' supporting grassroots organisations and with a focus on the audience; SXSW, arguably the coolest event in the music and film calendar, Austin’s cultural ‘outsider’ reputation and their rise to become the place in the world to do business in the film and music industry, has echoes of Glasgow.
GFF continues to grow and develop in ambition and aspirations. GFF 2023 takes place 1 - 12 March.