Cinetopia Recommends: 16-22 March 2026

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... 🎉

Happy Oscar’s Weekend film nerds! 👀 Ballots at the ready… Before we kick off this week’s newsletter, a shameless plug right at the top. Cinetopia x Leith Kino are super stoked to announced FIENDS IN THE FURROWS, a new folk horror film festival in Leith taking place from 23-26 April! 4 days of indoor and outdoor film screenings, Wicker Man under the stars! Mark Jenkin’s newest Rose of Nevada! Freaky weird retro horror and international cinema! Pop-up food and drink! Fiendish events with local partners…

We hope to see you there!

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AROUND TOWN

Film screenings & events in Edinburgh and Glasgow 🍿

EDINBURGH

FILM SCREENINGS:

• OUR PICKS FROM THE FILMHOUSE:

  • Japan Touring Film Foundation continues its season. From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.

    • Blue Boy Trail (ブルーボーイ事件) - 16 March, 6pm

    • Conflagration (炎上) (4K Remaster) - 17 March, 8.45pm

    • She Taught Me Serendipity (今日の空が一番好き、とまだ言えない僕は) - 18 March, 6pm

    • Teki Cometh (敵) - 19 March, 8.45pm

  • Innocent Sorcerers (KINOTEKA) - Screening as part of KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival 2026. Following his lauded war trilogy, Wajda turned his camera on Poland’s socially modern but politically disengaged post-war generation. When hipster doctor Bazyli meets out-of-towner Pelagia in a nightclub, they spend a night in his flat flirting to the jazz tunes of Krzysztof Komeda. Embracing a style similar to the contemporaneous French New Wave, this is a vivid portrait of disillusioned youth. 17 March, 6pm

    

  • Copan + introduction and recorded Q&A - This UK premiere screening will have an introduction from curator of the film Mariana Duarte, and be followed by a 20-minute pre-recorded Q&A with director Carine Wallauer hosted by Duarte. Social-realist sci-fi from an apartment block with five thousand inhabitants in the centre of São Paulo. A Brazilian microcosm about money, power and a fragile democracy. Part of SDI’s Doc Screen series. 18 March, 6.05pm

  • The Catalan Film Festival returns for its 11th edition in 2026, and we are so pleased to be back at Filmhouse once again to bring you the best new films from Catalonia.

    • Forastera - 19 March, 8.30pm

    • Afternoons of Solitude - 20 March, 8.30pm

    • The Imminent Age - 22 March, 4pm

  • BFI Flare presents Pink Narcissus - The work of artist and photographer James Bidgood, Pink Narcissus is a breathtaking and outrageous erotic visual poem focusing on the daydreams of a beautiful male sex-worker who, from the seclusion of his ultra-kitsch apartment, conceives a series of interlinked narcissistic fantasies populated by matadors, dancing boys, slaves and leather-clad bikers. With its highly charged hallucinogenic quality and its atmosphere of lush decadence, Pink Narcissus is a landmark of gay and experimental cinema. Pink Narcissus has been restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from original 35mm materials.

    

• OUR PICKS FROM THE CAMEO:

  • Don’t Be Prey + Q&A - An edge-of-your-seat adventure into one man’s fight to reclaim his life by taking on extraordinarily challenging channel crossings fraught with danger, the Oceans Seven. Featuring unforgettable characters, raw vulnerability, and the constant risk of sharks and jellyfish, it’s a gripping, uplifting journey of resilience, reinvention and what it really takes to survive. Following the screening, coach Tim Denyer and swimmer Mark Sowerby will host a live discussion to share insights from this decade-long journey. 16 March, 5.45pm

  • Blue Velvet- 40th anniversary - The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child. Multiple screenings through the week.

  • THE KILLER (4K RESTORATION) - Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim’s sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right. 20 March, 8.45pm & 21 March, 1.15pm

  • FINLAND - THE HAPPIEST COUNTRY THAT ALMOST DIDN’T EXIST - Finland - the happiest country that almost didn’t exist Finland is a sub-arctic state with a Scotland-sized population, ports that are ice-locked for half the year and a precarious land border with Russia. Yet, it’s also the world’s happiest country for eight years running, with the best education system, food security, low levels of child poverty, high levels of income equality and trust – both in government and one another. This film will be followed by a 60-minute Q&A. 22 March, 5.15pm

AROUND TOWN:

• The Divine Sarah Bernhardt (2024) - Sarah Bernhardt is at the height of her fame. An icon of her time and the world’s first star, the actress is also a passionate, free-spirited and modern woman who defies conventions. Discover the woman behind the legend. ~ FRENCH INSTITUTE - 18 March, 2pm

• Monsieur Lazhar, by Philippe Falardeau (2011) - At a Montréal public grade school, Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While helping his students deal with their trauma, his own recent loss is revealed.Awards (Canadian Oscars) include: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor. Screening as part of the Mois de la Francophonie 2026 ~ FRENCH INSTITUTE - 20 March, 6pm

• Persepolis (2007) - A young girl comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution in this animation based on the eponymous graphic novel ~ Grassmarket Community Project | 17 March, 18 March, 7pm

• Leith Kino presents: River - Join us at Leith Kino as we screen the unhinged time-loop comedy River (2023), directed by Junta Yamaguchi, one of the most exciting new directors within Japanese comedy filmmaking. Set within a traditional inn over in Kyoto, River follows its guests and workers as they try to figure out ways of escaping a sudden, unexplained time-loop which resets everything every two minutes. Simultaneously devious and heartfelt, as well as endlessly inventive, don't miss out on this true gem of modern Japanese comedy! LEITH DEPOT - 22 March, 7.30pm

  

• Vampire Pub Quiz- ‘The Homebody’ student film fundraiser - join us for Vampire Pub Quiz, for the student film ‘The Homebody’, a spooky fun night raising some cash to support the arts! Get ready for a fang-tastic night out! Bring your best trivia skills, enjoy some spooky fun, and help fund a cool creative project. Whether you’re a vampire enthusiast or just love a good quiz, this event’s for you! Remember to bring your student card for a discount! ~ 3 Sisters PUB | 16 March, 7pm

• One Battle After Another - Di Caprio is an ex-revolutionary who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle upon getting pursued by a corrupt military officer. Oscar contender for Best Film! ~ St Joseph’s, BALERNO | 21 March, 7.30pm

• The Citadel ‘Through the Ages’ Film Premier & New Look Launch - The very first screening of “Citadel Through the Ages” - A film made by young people

  Join us to help launch our new look for The Citadel and celebrate with a first screening of ‘Citadel Through the Ages’ - a film made by young people.

  ‘Citadel Through the Ages’ follows the story of a baby growing up through The Citadel, and features groups and clubs that she attends as she grows from a baby to an older person. Come and see all the groups in action and hear lived experiences from the script written by the young people. We will also be showing off our ‘new look’ for changing from Citadel Youth Centre to The Citadel. ~ The Citadel Youth Centre | 18 March, 1pm

• Film Club - What Happened Was (1994) - The Edinburgh ‘Like A Book Group But With Films’ Group meets every other Thursday to chat films and TV! It’s a brilliant group, come along! Watch the film in your own time and join us for a chat on the night. Highly recommend by Rob and Charlie Kaufman’s favourite film. Looks a gem!

  This darkly humorous film explores the personal psychic landscape of two lonely New Yorkers. Jackie and Michael are coworkers at a large law firm, who decide to meet at Jackie’s for dinner one night. As this ‘first date’ plays out, the audience is guided through a mental minefield of disappointment, desolation, and desperation. Their conversation, with its awkward ‘small talk’, slowly reveals their unhappy lives. ~ Bennets Bar | 19 March, 7.30pm

• BO’NESS: Finis Terr ae + live performance at HippFest: Cinetopia in collaboration with Edinburgh Film Guild and HippFest present Jean Epstein’s Finis Terrae + live performance of a newly composed original score by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Abrahams and drummer Philippe Boudot. Opening Day of HIPPFEST 2026! Bo’NESS HIPPODROME, 18 March, 4pm (or get your festival pass!)

  • ALSO A CINETOPIA SALON EVENT in Edinburgh- Finis Terrae + live performance, FRENCH INSTITUTE, 24 March, 6-10pm

    

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GLASGOW

FILM SCREENINGS:

• OUR PICKS FROM GFT:

  • Sunday Bloody Sunday - Given studio carte blanche after the unexpected triumph of Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger created one of the most underrated masterpieces in British cinema. Far ahead of its time in its unsensationalised depiction of queer polyamory, Sunday Bloody Sunday was to be the most personal work of Schlesinger's career, in which screenwriter Penelope Gilliatt drew heavily on both his and her own past experiences. 17 March, 6pm

    

  • Movie Memories: Paper Moon - Movie Memories is GFT's dementia-friendly film programme, designed to enable people living with dementia to socialise in a safe and social environment. Everyone is welcome. All tickets are £3 (includes free refreshments and live music). During the Great Depression, a con man (Ryan O’Neal) forms an unlikely partnership with a young girl (Tatum O’Neal) who may or may not be his daughter. The two travel from town to town, making money in every dishonest way imaginable. Tatum O’Neal was 10 years old when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1974 for her performance in this movie, making her the youngest person ever to win an Oscar in a competitive category. 19 March, 11am

  • GSFF: Visible Cinema: RCS Curates Deaf Shorts - Connection, communication and family are the order of the day in this selection of short films: the families we’re born into, and the families we make out of our friends. Curated by students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s BA Performance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Actors, these shorts span space and time, taking in multiple genres – creative documentary, romantic comedy, even horror – exploring Deaf lives and cultures, and widening the margins on how Deaf stories are told onscreen. 21 March, 3pm

    

  • Midnight Cowboy - A wide-eyed dreamer leaves home and comes to New York with plans to win his fortune in the big city. In many ways, John Schlesinger's decision to make his first American film was no less quixotic than that of his protagonist, Joe Buck (Jon Voight), who arrives in the Big Apple with lusty expectations of raking in dollars from desperate housewives. But his film takes a characteristic turn when Buck finds, in place of luxury and easy money, an unlikely bond with down-and-out conman Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). 22 March, 4.50pm

AROUND TOWN:

• Film Night - BIG vs SMALL - Join us as a champion big wave surfer has to conquer her fear of drowning. BIG vs SMALL is a modern-day fairytale stretching from monster waves in Portugal to the dark stillness of a far-north, frozen Finnish lake – it’s about power and strength on top of the water and facing demons under it. This documentary by Finnish filmmaker Minna Dufton tells the story of “tiny fighter” Joana Andrade, a big wave surfer from Portugal, who travels to Finland for an extraordinary training session with champion ice diver Johanna Nordblad. It’s about trust, letting go, and what happens when these two champion atheletes share their extraordinary talents with each other, exploring their love, fear and fascination with deep water and the power of the ocean. ~ ARLINGTON BATHS CLUB | 21 March 6pm

  

• Purpose: A Wellbeing Economies Film - Glasgow Screening with Panel Q&A - Recognising the challenge of family poverty in the City, Glasgow City Council is exploring alternative economic models to help inform and develop solutions. As part of the GALLANT partnership with the University of Glasgow, we are collaborating to understand what system change within our economy would look like, whilst at the same time, improving health and wellbeing and tackling the city’s key environmental challenges. As part of this process, we are screening the film Purpose: A Wellbeing Economies Film, to energise and spark discussion around what has been described as “the most urgent conversation of our time”. ~ The Social Hub | 16 March 5pm

• Damn the Man: Public Meeting at GMAC Film - Following the recent Notice to Quit issued by City Property, we are hosting a public meeting to share information, answer questions. The response from the creative community has been extraordinary, and many people have asked how they can support. This meeting will provide an opportunity to come together and hear directly from GMAC about the current situation. ~ GMAC Film 103 Trongate | 18 March, 6pm

• Urbanism Film Club - True Stories (1986) - Join us for our screening of True Stories directed by David Byrne, followed by a social after the screening. ~ 42 Bute Gardens | 17 March, 5.30pm

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FURTHER AFIELD AND FURTHER AHEAD

Film-related treats happening around the rest of Scotland and UK!

• 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 and touring. Renowned for its warm welcome and inclusive atmosphere, HippFest attracts a broad audience of cinema-goers, music lovers, and industry professionals, cultivating an international community with an adventurous appetite for extraordinary cinema. ~ Bo’NESS HIPPODROME | 18-22 March multiple screenings

• MONTROSE - The Shepherd and the Bear - An aging shepherd in the Pyrenees struggling to find a successor as bears, being rewilded in the region, prey on his flock. Part of LandxSea Monthly’s series of Powerful Films about People and Planet. ~ MONTROSE PLAYHOUSE | 23 March, 7.0pm

  

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OPPORTUNITIES

JOBS / WORK OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP:

• Distribution Assistant - Trafalgar Releasing - Salary: £29,000 | This role involves working in the Trafalgar Releasing team for Deluxe’s external client. This is a Deluxe employment position, but day-to-day with Trafalgar Releasing. Apply by 23 March

• Spotlight on FIfe/Clackmannanshire Coordinator | Spotlight is a place-based initiative designed to develop the capacity and confidence of local film exhibitors and potential new exhibitors in Fife and Clackmannanshire — an area with significant unmet demand for independent cinema and a large population currently underserved by screen culture provision. Salary: £33,240 (pro rata, 0.686 FTE). Contract: April 2026 – 31 March 2029. Apply by 30 March

• Head of Commercial and Marketing, Dublin International Film Festival - Salary: €50-60,000 (depending on experience). The position is offered as a three-year fixed-term contract with a six-month probationary period. Apply by 4 April

• Marketing & Communications Coordinator - Women in Film & TV - Salary: £32,000 per annum.The role will be key in amplifying WFTV’s work across digital and in-person platforms, connecting their community and showcasing the talent and ambition of women across film and television. Apply by 30 March

• Join the LUX Board of Trustees - looking for new Board members to support our work and bring new skills, expertise and ideas for the future of our organisation. This is an important moment in LUX’s history as we embark on a process of rearticulating our purpose and shaping our future with a new executive team. Maintaining a strong, dynamic Board of Trustees is essential to guiding LUX’s mission and working in collaboration with the team to develop and implement the organisation’s vision. Deadline 13 April

• BFI NETWORK Talent Executive, Film Hub Midlands - Salary: £38,326 p.a. This is an exciting opportunity to join Broadway and collaborate with partners across the Midlands region to support producers, writers, directors and other creatives working across different disciplines, at the early stages of their film careers. Deadline to apply, 27 March

• Marketing & Communications Coordinator Women in Film & TV: Salary: £32,000 per annum. Contract: Full time, fixed term contract 12 months with the possibility to extend. Deadline to apply 30 March

• Communications Assistant - DCA, Dundee - Hours: 35 hours per week.
  Working Pattern: 9:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday. Salary: £23,244.18 per annum. Deadline to apply, 29 March

COURSES & WORKSHOPS:

• Story for Pitch Decks - Story for Pitch Decks is a two-day live, online training course for writers with a script or documentary idea looking to deliver a memorable, professional industry pitch for their story. Deadline, 5 June - multiple locations

• Raindance Scotland Dynamic Screenwriting weekend - Master the art of the script. From three-act structure and dynamic character arcs to visual storytelling and engaging dialogue, learn to turn your cinematic ideas into a polished story. 13 + 14 June, 2026. Apply by 13 June.

AWARDS / FESTIVALS:

• FESTIVALS / ORGS LOOKING FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:

  • Edinburgh Pitch 2026 - Call for Projects - Edinburgh Pitch is an international documentary pitching forum for independent filmmakers and productions companies developing urgent, challenging, engaging authored feature films at any stage.

    In a supportive lab-like environment, twelve selected projects will be invited to take part in a preparatory workshop (June 8th) before pitching to an industry panel (June 9th) and engaging in one-to-one meetings the next day (June 10th). Deadline 22 March

  • Women Over 50 Film Festival 2026 (Lewes, Sussex) - Looking for short films (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental) and scripts that feature a woman over 50 in a central role or have a woman over 50 in a key creative role (director, writer, producer). Deadline 22 June

FUNDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, MENTORSHIPS:

• BFI Creative Fund Opens | UK screen organisations can apply for funding ranging from £12,000 to £150,000 | Ongoing until March 2026

• Meanwhile Use Fund (Glasgow) | The Meanwhile Use Fund, part of the City Centre Improvement Grant Fund, is designed to help organisations and communities in Glasgow city centre make use of empty or vacant properties. The fund aims to support projects that improve the city’s appearance and inclusivity. | Apply before 1 April 2026

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NEWS:

Film stories, productions, news, reports, industry insights, and other tidbits that have caught our attention this week!

• New folk horror film festival for Leith announced

• Jeanie Finlay launches Glimmerama, creative distribution arm of Glimmer Films

• BFI reveals details of audience development funding for 2026-29

• Mandy Chang appointed inaugural CEO of UK’s Documentary Film Council

Film Festivals currently running / coming up:

• SXSW / 12-18 March / Austin, Texas USA

• Glasgow Short Film Festival / 18-22 March / Glasgow, UK

• Visions du Réel / 17-26 April / Nyon, Switzerland

• Fiends in the Furrows, / 23-26 April / Leith, Scotland

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