Full programme announced for Glasgow Film Festival Industry Focus!
Running from 6-9 March, the event will host a packed programme of talks, workshops and networking opportunities for people at every stage of their media career.
Highlights across the four days include celebrated author Stuart Cosgrove discussing his book’s transformation from page to screen, a Women in Animation panel with Lauren Castro from Netflix and Helen Argo from Aardman and a celebration of 20 years of Birds Eye View, championing work by female and non-binary filmmakers in the UK.
The full programme has been announced for Glasgow Film Festival’s annual Industry Focus strand. The four-day event brings together Film and TV professionals from across the UK, Europe and further afield for a packed programme of panel discussions, workshops, screenings and networking, with a big focus on female talent across all aspects of the industry. GFF Industry Focus highlights a range of topics geared towards all levels and sectors of the industry - from recent graduates to established professionals - with a programme that provides a platform for professional development and a meeting place to help connect creative and business delegates.
Highlights include:
· Celebrated author Stuart Cosgrove discussing the screen adaptation of bestseller Cassius X
· Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché director Paul Sng delving Inside the Documentary with Seahorse and The Great Hip Hop Hoax director Jeanie Finlay. Paul will also give audiences a first-look into his latest projects
· A celebration of 20 Years of Birds Eye View, a spotlight for films by women and non-binary filmmakers in cinemas across the UK, featuring Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale and Impact Producer Xuanlin Tham
· A look at how gender imbalance in the animation industry can be addressed with a Women in Animation event featuring Lauren Castro (Netflix), Helen Argo (Aardman) and filmmaker Isabel Barfod with journalist and author Hanna Flint as moderator
· Training on how to pitch your big idea from the co-founders of My SMASH Media (a new creative platform designed to connect innovative content creators with decision-makers in film and TV) followed by the opportunity to listen to a top industry panel including Alice Whittemore (Film4) and Jen Davies (Conic Distribution)
· 1:1 consultancy opportunities for first and second time filmmakers to discuss their festival strategy with Catherine Bray from British Council
· Censor producer Helen Jones in discussion with Film London’s Jordan McGarry about how the annual Production Finance Market can help, from encouraging new business relationships to attaching international sales companies
· Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir, Band director, actor and bandmate of The Post Performance Blues Band featuring as a guest panellist at the Documentary: Fact vs Fiction Q&A event along with Matt Johnson, The Dirties and Blackberry director
· A new strand at Glasgow Film Festival Industry Focus: Scotland and Europe. Guests will be welcomed from different areas of the European film sector, highlighting their successes, and discussing the nature of international collaboration in a post-Brexit Scotland. For its inaugural edition, the Festival welcomes Clara Kiskanc, Open Doors Coordinator at Locarno Pro. Open Doors champions filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging, building bridges for collaboration across regions, countries and continents
· The launch of the fourth edition of the Young Films Foundation, a talent development scheme based on the Isle of Skye that aims to find and aid a new generation of Scottish screenwriting talent
· The launch of GFF’s Town Hall, a new space for individuals from across the different sectors within the Scottish film industry to celebrate our successes, share our goals, exchange knowledge and build bridges to help us grow together as an Industry. Town Hall 2023 will be an opportunity to hear more about the plans for this annual event, share ideas and the launch of our Scottish Industry survey
· At a private reception last night with industry leaders, the festival also announced its first step towards developing their new vision for the industry programme. A new Industry Advisory Board formed of leading industry experts and voices from across the sector will be established later in the year. The Festival have revealed that writer and director Raisah Ahmed will be the Chair of this group
Industry Focus passes are available to buy until Sunday 19 February, at £120 / £105 concession. To purchase and for more info visit here.
Allison Gardner, Co-Director of GFF, said:
“The Industry Focus at Glasgow Film Festival provides a vital opportunity for film professionals from Scotland, the UK and further afield to meet, network and share. The events we provide are designed to enhance the growing industry in Scotland and share our talent with our film colleagues from across the world.”
The 19th annual Glasgow Film Festival will run from 1–12 March at Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and other venues across the city. GFF is one of the leading film festivals in the UK and run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs GFT. GFF is made possible by support from Screen Scotland, the BFI Audience Fund (awarding funds from the National Lottery), Glasgow Life and EventScotland. Tickets to all GFF screenings are on sale now at www.glasgowfilm.org/festival
Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland, said:
“Glasgow’s industry programme provides a really useful set of events which will help filmmakers connect to financing and co-production opportunities, gain valuable insight into the filmmaking process and discuss critical issues facing the industry today.”