Cinetopia: Recommends, 31 March-6 April 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:
The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru | a poignant documentary directed by Fang Li that sheds light on a forgotten chapter of World War II | Everyman Cinema - 31 March, 7.30pm
Arrival + discussion with Simon Kirby, Professor of Language Evolution at the University of Edinburgh | Part of Edinburgh Science Festival, when gigantic, sculptural spaceships of unknown origin arrive at twelve locations around the globe, a crack team of scientists and experts are quickly enlisted by the world's military to help them understand... why are they here? | Grassmarket Community Picture House - 6 April, 6.30pm
Io Capitano | Two Senegalese teenagers decide to leave their hometown and undergo the dangerous journey to Italy in order to escape poverty | Grassmarket Community Picture House - 2 April, 7pm
EscapeTheFrame: An Animated Exhibition | An exhibition which showcases both animated and illustrated work from the third year animation students at ECA | Out of the Blue Drill Hall - 4 April, 6pm
Screening of 'Inspiration' - A film about Hamish Henderson | "Inspiration" explores the complex life of Hamish Henderson, from war hero to folk song, through the eyes of artist Charles Nasmyth | Scottish Poetry Library - 3 April, 6.30pm
StopEACOP Films: Treading the Line + My Name is Swallow 6pm 3 Apr Edinburgh | Two films explore the challenges faced by climate activists. Film makers, food and poetry | Screening Room G.04 (Edinburgh Uni)- 3 April, 6pm
Delicious / Délicieux | France, 1789, just before the Revolution. With the help of a surprising talented young woman, a chef who has been sacked by his noble master finds the strength to free himself from his position as a servant and opens the first ever restaurant. | French Institute - 2 April, 2pm
Two To One / Zwei zu eins | It’s 1990 and as German reunification looms, a trio of friends find a trove of soon-to-be worthless banknotes and hatch a get-rich-quick scheme, starring Sandra Huller | French Institute - 3 April, 6pm
Relaxed Screening - Eraserhead | Henry, who's trying to survive the gloomy industrial landscape, discovers that he has become a father. His baby turns out to be a mutant lizard-like creature whose endless wailing drives him insane. Relaxed screenings are designed to make cinema-going easier for those needing additional support, including neurodivergent audiences and those living with dementia. | The Cameo - 31 March, 6.15pm
Sebastian + Q&A | Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel. Followed by a Q&A with director Mikko Makela and producer James Watson | The Cameo - 6 April, 4.45pm
EVENTS:
DOCo Documentary Work in Progress Nights | This month: 5 short films, wildly different in tone and style, but each made by one of the DOCo founding members. Who are these guys!? Sure you see them each month presenting our events, but do they walk the walk as well as talk the talk? Who are they as film makers? This month, we lay ourselves bare! | FREE EVENT | The Outhouse - 2 April, 7pm
Creative SoundLab Networking for Music Producers & Creatives | At Creative soundLAB artists, producers, and music enthusiasts come together to share their passion for creativity. A unique opportunity to network and interact with super-talented musicians, composers sound designers and explore, discover sample perfect music, audio and sound for your creative multimedia projects. Join the conversations and immerse yourself in a world of innovative sounds and vibrant energy! | Bright Red Triangle Startup Studio - 31 March, 6-8.30pm
Film Club - Hundreds of Beavers (2022) | The Edinburgh ‘Like A Book Group But With Films’ Group meets in the pub every other Thursday to chat films and TV! Come along, it’s fun! | Bennet’s Bar - 3 April, 7.30pm
Cinetopia Film Networking Night | Our regular informal mixer for filmmakers, film enthusiasts and anyone keep to learn more about the film community | Home Bar - 2 April, 7pm
Folk Film Gathering | The world's first folk film festival returns to Cameo for another programme of folk cinema from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Algeria, Iceland, Lebanon, Palestine, and Ukraine. | MULTIPLE VENUES ACROSS EDINBURGH from 26 April - 11 May
Image from Folk Film Gathering 2025
GLASGOW
FILM SCREENINGS:
Dog-Friendly Secret Cinema | Bring your pooch on 1st April for an exciting way to experience classic, iconic films - a complete surprise until the film starts playing! Ticket includes a free drink on arrival. | GMAC Film, 103 Trongate - 1 April, 7pm
Court Darkroom presents 'Streetwise' a film by Martin Bell | Photojournalist Mary Ellen Mark and director Martin Bell travel the streets of Seattle chronicling the lives of homeless youth. | Sikorski Polish Club - 3 April, 7pm
The Women Who Built Glasgow City - Documentary Screening and Q&A - Founded in 1998 with aspirations to become a dominant force in Scottish football and Europe, this is the story of how trailblazers are made | The Social Hub Glasgow - 1 April, 7pm
Film Screening of Vanishing Sail: Scotland and Carriacou | Come watch a film about the traditional art of boat building in Scotland and Carriacou at our screening event - organised by Black History Walking Tours Edinburgh | The Rum Shack Glasgow - 4 April, 6pm
Je Tu Il Elle (I You He She) + short | Chantal Akerman’s ambiguous triptych was based on her experiences hitchhiking from Paris to Brussels. A woman holes up in a room, obsessively eating sugar and rearranging furniture. Then we follow her hunt for love and connection – first with a truck driver, then an ex-lover. With its uninterrupted eroticism-free 10-minute lesbian sex scene, this is one of the most radical and assured sequences in any feature debut from the 1970s. | Glasgow Film Theatre - 2 April, 8.10pm
Weird Weekend present The People's Joker + Vera Drew & Grant Morrison In Conversation (Recorded) | A revolutionary DIY parody film and hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big as a comedian by joining the cast of UCB Live - a government-sanctioned late night sketch show in a world where comedy has been outlawed. | CCA - 1 April, 6.30pm
Sonic the Hedgehog: Take 2 Family Screening | Every child attending a Take 2 screening receives a free ticket for themselves and one free ticket for their accompanying adult. Free tickets are only issued on the day of the screening. | Glasgow Film Theatre - 5 April, 11.30am
EVENTS:
Cafe Flicker Short Film Open Mic | GMAC’s short film open-mic night, for anyone and everyone. Come and watch some local shorts in a room of friendly faces, where favourite films are voted on to eventually crown overall winner at the end of the year. | GMAC Film - 103 Trongate - 3 April, 7pm
FURTHER AFIELD AND FURTHER AHEAD!
Film-related treats happening around the UK!
DUNDEE - Dundee Games Meet-up! | A bi-monthly community meet-up for anyone and everyone in the games industry! | 1 Temple Ln - 4 April, 6pm
DUMFRIES - Reel to Real: Filmmakers Shorts: Double Bill – Madhe Hasan and Sarah Thomas | This month we are joined by two filmmakers based in the region, to share some of their short works and host a joint discussion about their films | The Stove Network & Café - 4 April, 7pm
MONTROSE - HARVEST preview screening | Join LandxSea for the first screening in our new monthly series at the Montrose Playhouse! From acclaimed director Athina Rachel Tsangari (Chevalier, Attenberg), HARVEST stars Caleb Landry Jones, Harry Melling, and Rosy McEwen. Shot in Oban, Argyll, and the Western Highlands, it’s a stark, gripping reflection on land, displacement, and environmental upheaval. | Montrose Playhouse - 3 April, 5.30pm
OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS / WORK OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP:
Screen Education Edinburgh has a number of positions: 4 April deadline
Seeking to recruit a new Chairperson, Secretary, and additional Trustees to our Board, including those with skills or experience in the following areas.
- Education
- Film and TV production
- Fundraising, development, and sponsorship
- HR
- Youth and community development
Filmhouse Edinburgh has two more job openings: deadline 18 April
Marketing Officer - £26,000 pa
Programme Officer - £26,000 pro rata (part time)
PR & Comms - Celtic Media Festival | Provide comprehensive PR & comms support for the CMF, taking place in Newquay, Cornwall from the 3rd to the 5th of June 2025 | Deadline end April
Filmmakers Programme Assistant - GMAC Film, Glasgow | 5 months, with a 30 hour week working pattern. £23,000 pro rata. | Deadline 9 April
Project Co-Producers - Offline (formerly GAMIS) | Work with the Director of Programmes in a strategic capacity as the organisation enters a period of development. Fixed term 6-month contract. £33,000 pro rata | Deadline 13 April
Bright Studio Spaces Available - SaltSpace Cooperative, Glasgow | Bright and affordable studio spaces available in our East End Dornoch Street and City Centre Washington Street locations, prices ranging between £120 - £200 per month, all inclusive. | Apply now
COURSES & WORKSHOPS:
Scottish Youth Film Foundation Sean Connery Talent Lab opens for applications | This summer school will take place near Alness in the Highlands and will be free to all participants. Designed to mirror and complement the Sean Connery Talent Lab which is just coming to the end of its first year, the Youth Talent Lab will take the form of a week-long residential summer school where 12 participants will be guided through a compressed version of the adult Talent Lab. | Apply Now
Development Training with The Grierson Trust + Netflix | This new training programme, run in partnership with Netflix, will offer intensive training, mentoring and eight-week production company work placement opportunities for eight successful candidates who can demonstrate their strong passion for documentary development. | Apply by 3 April
Introductory Photography Course | An introductory photography course for 16-25 year olds that will teach you basic photography skills as well as encourage you to develop your own projects. | Stills School, Edinburgh | Apply before 25 April
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
Screen Combat Course / Learn smallsword stage and screen combat, putting performance in action through choreographed swordplay - organised by Stage Fight Scotland / From 7-12 April
NFTS: Interviewing for Documentary and Factual Filmmaker / From actuality interviews to formal sit-downs, we will spend two days developing your interviewing skills and experimenting with different techniques and approach / NFTS Scotland / 8 & 9 May
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
FUNDING / AWARDS / FESTIVALS:
FESTIVALS LOOKING FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:
GMAC Short FIlm Festival | GMAC’s Short Film fest is dedicated to showcasing Scottish-based artists and championing diverse, underrepresented voices in independent filmmaking. We are looking for creative, thought-provoking, and entertaining independent films. | Deadline 15 April
SQIFF - Scottish Queer International Film Festival / Open for short film submissions to the 2025 edition of their festival that runs 28th October – 1st November. Submission fees are pay what you can / Deadline 20 April
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 / Festival will run from 14-20 August / Deadline: 18 April
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
Saint Andrews Film Festival | The platform for Self-Expression and Filmmaking Education. We elevate Scottish cinema and cross-cultural exchange. | Deadline 30 April
Edinburgh Short Film Festival / The 15th edition with International Film Festival showcases, more short film screenings, trophies, cash prizes and awards! / Regular deadline 16 May
FUNDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS:
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
Culture & Business Scotland Fund / Culture organisations in arts and heritage can now apply to the C&BS Fund, designed to support innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships between culture and business organisations across Scotland, for up to £1 for every £2 of sponsorship invested by business organisations / Until 31 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: Regular: 31 March
Screen Scotland Market & Festival Attendance Fund / This fund supports the progression of film and TV projects through attendance at key UK (outside of Scotland) and international markets and festivals / Until 1 April
Screen Scotland Distribution Fund / Supports the distribution of Scottish feature films to reach a wide and diverse audience in Scotland / Until 1 April
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
Vimeo Short Film Grant / Lights, camera, funded 🎬 We’re delighted to support the next generation of filmmakers with the inaugural VIMEO Short Film Grant, Presented by Nikon USA and @reddigitalcinema - Apply before 18 April
BFI Doc Society - Short Film Fund | The Made of Truth: BFI Doc Society Short Film Fund is opening for applications again soon, from 1 April - 1 May! | Series of online supporting events from 2 April
Elizabeth Neuffer Journalism Fellowship | International Women’s Media Foundation Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship is taking applications, providing academic and professional opportunities to advance the reporting skills of women and nonbinary journalists who focus on human rights and social justice. | Apply before 20 April
Creative Scotland Open Fund for Individuals / Supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland. / Until 8 October 2025
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
NEWS:
Film stories, productions, news, reports, industry insights, and other tidbits that have caught our attention this week!
US animation company Halon Entertainment to open Glasgow studio 🙌
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to invest £7.3m in Film London across four years 💰
AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Confirmed To Start Filming Next Month In The UK 🦸♀️
Announcing the Glasgow Short Film Festival 2025 Award Winners 🎥
Film Festivals currently running / coming up:
Queer East Film Festival / 17-28 April / Multiple locations, UK
Folk Film Gathering / 26 April - 11 May / Multiple locations, Edinburgh
Alchemy Film & Arts / 1-4 May - Hawick, Scottish Borders
Festival de Cannes / 14-23 May - Cannes, France
Sheffield DocFest / 18 - 23 June - Sheffield
Cheers for the shout out and congrats on finding your people! It's been great to see the newsletter blossom. Here's to many more 🍿