Cinetopia: Recommends, 10-16 March 2025 🍿
Film screenings, events, opportunities and film news for the week / month ahead, covering Edinburgh, Glasgow and beyond! Helping you stay connected to the film community... 🎉
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AROUND TOWN
Film screenings & events in Edinburgh and Glasgow 🍿
EDINBURGH
FILM SCREENINGS:
Queer Film Night Special: Queerness outside Cities / Four shorts that explore the relationship between queerness, rural spaces and nature / EDINBURGH STUDENT HOUSING COOP / 11 March, 8pm
Her Rotting Apples - Premiere / Join us for the premiere of Her Rotting Apples - A surreal narrative about a young girl fighting the suffocating grip of her own mind. Blurring reality she navigates a tricky home life, finding escape with an unknown entity in a haunting forest. Dress Code: Smart!! - Sent by Ella Novie with the Edinburgh Filmmaking Society / ADAM HOUSE BASEMENT LECTURE THEATRE / 11 March, 6.30pm
PREVIEW: Black Bag / Cate Blanchette and Michael Fassbender in Steven Soderbergh’s latest thriller - Picturehouse members get priority booking / THE CAMEO / 12 March, 5.30pm
A Real Job / Un métier sérieux / In need of money and without support, Ph.D. student Benjamin becomes a middle school substitute teacher. He discovers how tough the declining public educational system can be / FRENCH INSTITUTE / 12 March, 2pm
Girl / Filmed and set in Glasgow, Girl follows a mother forced to confront her own past when her adolescent daughter starts growing up / GRASSMARKET COMMUNITY PICTURE HOUSE / 12 March, 7pm
Balancing The Scales / Screening of a documentary that dives into the fascinating interactions between beavers and fish. / NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND / 14 March, 6pm
Made In Bangladesh / Free screening: Shimu flees her village as a child after her stepmother threatened to marry her off to a middle-aged man (IMDb) .CRANNIE COMMUNITY HUB / 12 March, 4pm
Shaping Our Shores: Documentary Premiere / A documentary produced by Caledonian Horticulture, exploring the work of the Scottish Coastal Clean Up and other charities around Scotland / THE FRASER CENTRE / 15 March, 7pm
Freeze Frame presents: The 39 Steps / Join us for the 90th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcocks's classic + 2 course dinner £22 (film only £8)! / OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL / 16 March, 6.30pm
Relaxed Screening: The Wild Robot / Designed to make cinema-going easier for those needing additional support, including neurodivergent audiences and those living with dementia. / THE CAMEO / 16 March, 11.30 am (no ads or trailers)
EVENTS:
Independent Spirits Festival and Film Premiere / Whisky lovers, mark your calendars as the long-anticipated four-part docuseries *Independent Spirits* will make its world debut as part of Scotland’s inaugural Independent Spirits Festival, an event exclusively celebrating independent whisky bottlers / LEITH THEATRE / 15 March, 12pm
Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme / The Japan Foundation, London has run an annual Japanese film programme with UK partners since 2004. They curate themed selections of contemporary, classic, and anime films that deserve UK exposure. Their programme highlights Japanese cinema's trends, versatility, and uniqueness / THE CAMEO / Until 31 March various times
Catalan Film Festival / The Catalan Film Festival returns for its 10th edition with screenings across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Inverness. This year's programme aims to celebrate the profoundly creative moment currently taking place across Catalan cinema. Enjoy features, shorts, director Q&As, talks, and our first even audience award / VARIOUS VENUES / Until 30 March various times
GLASGOW
FILM SCREENINGS:
Taikon + Future In Your Hands Documentary Film Screening / Join us for a special screening of the Taikon documentary film - a powerful story of activism and empowerment / ROMA CULTURAL CENTRE / 10 March, 6pm
Access Film Club: Drop Dead Fred + Comedy set / GFT, together with The National Autistic Society Scotland, is delighted to provide Access Film Club: a screening and post-film discussion in a friendly and welcoming environment. / GFT / 10 March, 6pm
A Sunday in Hell + William Fotheringham Q&A / A rare cinema screening of Jørgen Leth's classic documentary on Paris-Roubaix, cycling's toughest one-day race / GFT / 11 March, 7.30pm
Motherload Film Screening / Join us for a night of cinematic gold at the Motherload Film Screening - a celebration of all things motherhood on the big screen! / BIKE FOR GOOD GLASGOW SOUTH / 13 March, 4pm
Purpose: A Wellbeing Economy Film - Screening and Q+A / Join SANE for this screening of Purpose - a Wellbeing Economies Film where we explore how the economy is at the heart of child poverty in Scotland and what we can do differently. / GMAC- TRONGATE / 15 March, 1pm
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found + recorded Q&A with Raoul Peck / Ernest Cole, a South African photographer was the first to expose the horrors of apartheid to a world audience. Raoul Peck recounts Cole's wanderings, his turmoil as an artist and his anger, on a daily basis, at the silence or complicity of the Western world in the face of the horrors of the Apartheid regime. / GFT / On all week - Select screenings include the Q&A (also showing at Cameo Picturehouse)
EVENTS:
Solar Hub and LumoTV Team – Speed Networking / Come meet the awesome Lumo TV Team and network like lightning! / IMPACT ARTS / 12 March, 6pm
Short Com at the Glasgow Film Theatre / Part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival enjoy two programmes from the 2024 edition: Lost In Translation, the best of our Live Action films hosted by the whimsically hilarious Josie Long on the 12th, then Funimation, our animation selection featuring the Oscar nominated Beautiful Men on the 13th / GFT / 12 & 13 March various times
Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+ / SQIFF and Exhale Group CIC brings 4x filmmaking workshop sessions for QTIPOC+ to learn and experience accessible ways to make a film. / TRANSMISSION GALLERY / 15 March 2pm (also sessions on 30 March)
FURTHER AFIELD
Film-related treats happening around the UK!
PEEBLES - Kim’s Video On Tour! / Cinetopia (yes, us!) are taking Sundance documentary Kim’s Video on tour, kicking off next week… A madcap quest to find the lost 55,000-videotape archive from NYC’s cult Kim’s Video rental store, this is a genre-bending film perfect for lovers of physical media, cinema, and video culture!/ EASTGATE ARTS / 15 March, 6pm
INVERNESS - Filmlands Network / A new network for emerging Highlands and Islands filmmakers to connect, share ideas, stories and scripts, and develop their own DIY filmmaking - all in a supportive, safe space /
ABERFELDY - Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands / The story of Scottish pop music from the 1960s onwards told by the visionary women who got on stage and made music together / THE BIRKS CINEMA / March 16, 6.30pm
BO’NESS - HIPPFEST/ HippFest is Scotland’s first and only festival of silent film with live music, centred in and inspired by Scotland’s first and oldest cinema; featuring exceptional screenings, commissions, workshops, community events… / Bo’Ness HIPPODROME / 19-23 March
OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS / WORK OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP:
Assistant Publicist - Premiere Scot PR / If you are dynamic, curious, and passionate about delivering creative campaigns for a range of clients across the arts, third sector, events and more - get in touch! / SCOTLAND / Deadline 12 March
Edinburgh Film Festival has a number of roles:
Marketing Coordinator / Fixed term contract. Early April – September 2025, £27,540 pro rata / Deadline 14 March
Programme Coordinator / Fixed term contract. Early April – September 2025, £27,540 pro rata / Deadline 14 March
Publications Coordinator / Fixed term contract. Early April – July 2025, £27,540 pro rata / Deadline 14 March
Office & Admin Coordinator / Fixed term contract. Early April – September 2025, £27,540 pro rata/ Deadline 14 March
Senior Operations Manager - Glasgow Film Theatre / £38,010 per annum, Deadline, 14 March
Deputy Box Office Manager - Byre Theatre, St Andrews / This is a front-line role within the Visitor Services department, working as a key part of a highly skilled team to deliver an exceptionally busy programme / ST ANDREWS / Deadline 17 March
Communications Assistant, BIFA / BIFA is looking for an enthusiastic, proactive Communications Assistant to support our communications across all of our activity - industry and public facing / LONDON / Deadline 21 March
Creative Learning and Education Officer / Send your CV and a cover letter to john.kirkland@birkscinema.co.uk / BIRKS CINEMA TRUST, ABERFELDY / £36,000 per annum / Deadline, 21 March
Producer, Manipulate Arts / Leading on delivery of all our projects and activities including the international Manipulate Festival / SCOTLAND / £35,000 per annum, Deadline, 24 March
Film-poem collaboration - Sue Mara Photography / Artist-writer seeking art film maker who would be interested to explore a film poem/poetry-film collaboration / Deadline 30 April
COURSES & WORKSHOPS:
Story for Pitch Decks / You’ve got a great idea and a script you think industry producers and execs should read. But how do you convince them? 2 day course. / ONLINE / 6 + 20 June
Introduction to 2D Drawn Animation Course / This 4 day course will consist of practical workshops that will focus on world-building and creating short animated sequences with 2D Digital drawing techniques, 8-11 April / NFTS SCOTLAND / Apply by 24 March
Learn the Art of Directing - a Workshop / Join award-winning director John McPhail for a full-day workshop designed to enhance your filmmaking skills in a practical, hands-on setting / GMAC - GLASGOW / 5 April, 10am-5pm
FUNDING / AWARDS / FESTIVALS:
FESTIVALS LOOKING FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:
Lookaside’s Short of the Month / A monthly curatorial experience focused on showcasing exciting voices of worldwide short filmmaking. / First Deadline, 25 March
LandxSea Festival Montrose / Scotland’s leading environmental film festival, we celebrate bold, thought-provoking storytelling that challenges, inspires, and connects audiences to the planet’s most pressing issues / Submissions close on 21 April
Central Scotland Documentary Festival / Celebrates creative documentary and non-fiction filmmaking, curated and presented by Macrobert Arts Centre, taking place 30 Oct - 3 Nov 2025 / Deadline: 21 March
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 / Festival will run from 14-20 August / Deadline: 18 April
FUNDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS:
BFI Network Short Film Fund I Awarding National Lottery funding between £5,000 and £25,000 to support shortform live action, animation and immersive/virtual reality. / Deadline, 25 March
Slick Films Fund / Slick Films invites writers, directors, and producers from all over the world to submit their original, compelling narratives for a chance to receive £10,000 in production funding. / Deadline 25 March
Bursary: Delegations by Scottish Documentary Institute / Offering a chance for Scotland-based producers and filmmakers to visit international festivals and markets / Upcoming: Sheffield Doc Fest Bursary, deadline 28 March
CABN Small Grants Fund / A fund offering awards of up to £2000 to creative practitioners living in the Scottish Borders by the Creative Arts Business Network / Deadline, 31 March
Reel Impact / Igniting change and creating equity for Black and Global Majority professionals in the TV and Film industry, from WFTV - grants for individuals and organisations / Sign up here for news of the next round of funding
Film Hub Scotland Film Exhibition Fund / Apply for up to £10,000 / First deadline, 28 March
The Female Voices Short Film Fund / Grants of up to £7,000 / $10,000 are available towards the production costs of all scripted genres and documentary short film content / Deadlines: Early Bird: 28 Feb, Regular: 31 March
Changing Perspectives Film Fund / UK Jewish Film is delighted to announce the launch of a new film fund for 2025, which will support the production of three high-quality, dramatic short films (approximately 15 minutes each), aimed at teenagers, and set in present-day Britain / First deadline 21 April
NEWS:
Film stories, productions, news, reports, industry insights, and other tidbits that have caught our attention this week!
You’ve GOT to see Toni Collette dancing on stage at GFF’s screening of Muriel’s Wedding! 💃
A more open awards window would help women filmmakers, suggests Reclaim The Frame distribution panel - Screen Daily 🎥
Scottish Opera’s first ever animated opera JOSEFINE comes to Edinburgh 🎶
Programme for 15th annual Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival announced 🎻
Film Festivals currently running / coming up:
Borderlines Film Festival - 28 February - 15 March / Multiple venues across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Malvern and the Marches
SXSW - 7-15 March / Austin, Texas
Manchester Film Festival - 14-23 March / Manchester
Glasgow Short Film Festival / 19-23 March / Glasgow
Hippfest Silent Film Festival / 19-23 March / Bo’ness
Cinéma du réel Documentary Festival - 22-29 March / Paris, France
CPH:DOX / 19-31 March / Copenhagen, Denmark
Queer East Film Festival / 17-28 April / Multiple locations, UK
Alchemy Film & Arts / 1-4 May - Hawick, Scottish Borders