Cinetopia Recommends: 9-15 February 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... 🎉
The shortest month continues with more treats and delicious goodies, film fans! We have a few V-day screenings, some excellent French & German cinema, an analogue film party, horror and politics (because, life!).
An extra special thank you to our paid subscribers — your support genuinely keeps this volunteer-run newsletter going.
If you’d like to support our work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription from £3.50/month or £30/year (30% off). Just click “Upgrade to paid” below or adjust your settings under “Subscriptions.”
AROUND TOWN
Film screenings & events in Edinburgh and Glasgow 🍿
EDINBURGH
FILM SCREENINGS:
OUR PICKS FROM THE FILMHOUSE:
The Wages of Fear - Henri-Georges Clouzot more than earned his title as the "French Hitchcock" with The Wages of Fear. Based on Georges Arnaud's 1950 novel Le salaire de la peur, this adaptation marked him out as a master filmmaker. 9th Feb 8.10 pm
the wages of fear The Dating Game + intro - In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three serial bachelors join an intensive 7-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches, in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love. This screening will have a recorded introduction. Part of Doc Screen run by Scottish Documentary Institute 11 Feb 6.10 pm
The Shepherd And The Bear + Q&A - This screening in collaboration with Doc Screen will be followed by a Q&A with director Max Keegan, hosted by filmmaker Eilidh Munro. Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, The Shepherd and the Bear explores a conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears in the midst of a traditional shepherding community. The film follows an aging shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, The Shepherd and the Bear is a modern folktale about tradition, community and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world. 10 Feb 8.15 pm
Silent Friend (MINT Chinese New Year Pop-up) - Screening as part of MINT Chinese New Year Pop-up 2026. In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed over a century the quiet rhythms of transformation across three human lives. 2020, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, exploring the mind of babies, begins an unexpected experiment with the old tree. 14 Feb 3 pm
silent friend
OUR PICKS FROM THE CAMEO:
Rephouse: A Woman is a Woman -A French striptease artist is desperate to become a mother. When her reluctant boyfriend suggests that his best friend impregnate her, feelings become complicated when she accepts. 9 Feb 5 pm & 10 Feb 3.25
André is an Idiot - His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity, send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor. 9 Feb, 12.30 pm & 12 Feb 3.45
Crash - After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife. 15 Feb 7.45 pm
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse's portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love.
13 Feb, 5.20pm
portrait of a lady on fire
AROUND TOWN:
Duncan Place Community Cinema: Short Film Night - For this screening we are showing six short documentaries from new filmmakers from Scotland and Northern Ireland on the Scottish Documentary Institute's 2025 Bridging the Gap programme. These films follow deeply personal stories covering migration, belonging, identity, body image, parent-child relationships, and community histories, all based around the theme of 'Influence'. / DUNCAN PLACE 11 Feb, 7pm
Mélodie en sous-sol - Henri Verneuil’s Mélodie en sous-sol is an extremely stylised black and white gangster film in which Charles (Jean Gabin) plans a ‘last’ heist at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes with the unreliable ex-con Francis (a young Alain Delon). Set in a Cannes of luxury cars, hotels, casinos, and swimming pools by the sea and topped by a legendary last 20 minutes, Mélodie is considered as one of the best thrillers and certainly among the most stylish movies of the early 1960s./ FRENCH INSTITUTE - 11 Feb, 2 & 6 pm
melodie en sous-sol Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy - Now a widowed single mother, Bridget Jones is all excited about trying out modern dating. She soon finds herself torn between a much younger Tinder date and her children's science teacher! GRASSMARKET PICTURE HOUSE - 11 Feb, 7pm
Freeze Frame: All that Heaven Allows (+ intro) - Love is in the air this Valentine’s weekend so join us at the Drill Hall for this special Freeze Frame screening as Jane Wyman & Rock Hudson become the talk of the town in this tale of love against all small town domestic gossipy odds. The screening will take place in their fully heated Rehearsal Studio, located just off the Main Hall and next to the Drill Hall Cafe with a special introduction by Fraser Elliot.
OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL 14th Feb 1 pm
Heated Rivalry Watch Party Eps 5 & 6 - Come to the cottage this Valentine’s! Enjoy Skip AND that cottage scene with friends and fans! THREE SISTERS PUB - 11 Feb, 7pm
Freeze Frame: Sing Street - Love is in the air this Valentine’s weekend so join us at the Drill Hall for this special Freeze Frame 10 year anniversary screening of Irish musical comedy drama about a schoolboy who forms a band in 1980’s Dublin.
OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL 15 Feb 6 pmLeith Kino - Freaks - This Valentine's weekend, Leith Kino presents Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932). Freaks tells the story of circus performer Hans (Harry Earles), who has recently inherited a fortune. He attracts the attention of the beautiful Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), a trapeze artist working at the circus. Her true intentions are soon discovered by the other performers after it's revealed that Hans is being poisoned and duped, and the film turns into a tale of revenge. LEITH DEPOT, 15 Feb, 7.30 pm
freaks
The Edinburgh ‘Like A Book Group But With Films’ Group: Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) - Watch the film in your own time and join us for a chat on the night. Probably one of the 10 best films ever made, a proper landmark film that’s so fresh and modern its almost impossible to believe it was made in ‘69.
Funeral Parade of Roses originates from the Japanese New Wave film movement, and is considered a monumental work of queer cinema. BENNET’S BAR; 5 Feb, 7.30pm
Labo Spirale Launch party - Labo Spirale is a new artist run, analogue-focused moving image lab in Edinburgh! We want to develop access to analogue skills, practices and equipment. Labo Spirale is a new artist run, analogue-focused moving image lab in Edinburgh! We want to develop access to analogue skills, practices and equipment through screenings, workshops and community! Join us to launch the lab and to hear more about our upcoming plans. We’ll be projecting analogue film and there will be live music and hands-on activities to enjoy! All welcome! Come along to help us envisage what a collaborative analogue community in Edinburgh might look like. LEITH DEPOT - 12 Feb, 7.30pm
GLASGOW
FILM SCREENINGS:
OUR PICKS FROM GFT:
Access Film Club: Pretty in Pink - 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. Teen sensations Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club) and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire) drew rave reviews for their starring performances in this hit love story by John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off). She's a high school girl from the wrong side of town. He's the wealthy heart-throb who asks her to the prom. But as fast as their romance builds, it's threatened by the painful reality of peer pressure. 9 Feb 6 pm
Women in Berlin - Chetna Vora's ethnographic portrait of East German women living in Berlin in the early 80s, a film which was almost destroyed. Her ability to capture the quiet resilience and everyday lives of East German women offers a rare glimpse into a world rarely seen through such a nuanced and foreign perspective. This screening will be introduced by this season's curator, Rastko Novakovic. Part of our Fokus: Films from Germany season. 12 Feb 5.40 pm
women in berlin It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley - Rising musician Jeff Buckley had only released one album when he died suddenly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from those closest to him offer a portrait of the captivating singer. From 13th February various times
Little Amélie (subtitled) Based on Amélie Nothomb’s best-selling autobiographical novel, The Character of Rain, Little Amélie is a visually enchanting tale about curiosity, courage, and the healing power of human connection. From 13th February various times
AROUND TOWN:
Beyond the Blue Border + Introduction and Q&A with Dorit Linke - Dorit Linke will open the film with an introduction and will be available for a Q&A afterwards. The GDR in the summer of 1989: Ambitious Hanna is a talented swimmer. She trains hard to fulfil her dream of Olympic victory one day. When she is not training, she prefers to spend her free time with her best friend Andreas, as well as Jens, a new class mate. Andreas' unconventional manner repeatedly brings him into conflict with the GDR system. When he is threatened with a stay in a re-education camp, he and Hanna decide to flee across the Baltic Sea swimming – 50 km across the water, completely on their own and connected only by a thin string around their wrists. GOETHE INSTITUT - 10 Feb, 6.30pm
Hide & Seek Presents : Cinema and Sip - The Notebook - Grab your date, your friends, or your tissues — this one’s a classic. Love is in the air… and on the big screen. 💕 Hide & Seek presents a Valentine’s showing of The Notebook.
Enjoy 3 cocktails, pizza & cinema snacks for just £25. Grab your date, your friends, or your tissues — this one’s a classic. HIDE & SEEK - 15 Feb, 4pm
The Rupture: Understanding The New World Disorder - In conversation with David Jamieson & Jonathon Shafi. This meeting will explore the profound shifts happening in the global system. We will look at how power is being restructured, and how 21st century imperialism is reshaping the world as we know it.
From rising authoritarianism to debates around national sovereignty, we’ll unpack the larger forces at play and what they mean for the future. David Jamieson and Jonathon Shafi are both leading activists in the anti war movement in Scotland and co-Editors of Conter.Scot. GMAC Film, 103 TRONGATE - 10 Feb, 7pm
Valentine’s Movie Night❤️ “When Harry Met Sally” - Spend Valentine’s Night wrapped up in cosy pub vibes with one of the greatest rom-coms of all time. The perfect excuse for a relaxed, feel-good night out.
Your £10 ticket includes: The movie, classic cinema-style snacks, a welcome drink on arrival. Whether you’re bringing your mate or your date, this is Valentine’s done right. Grab a seat, grab a drink, and let the movie do the rest. Tickets are limited, so book early 💕 CORONA BAR - 15 Feb, 6.30pm
when harry met sally ‘The Horror Cut’ Short Film Showcase - ‘The Horror Cut’ presents an evening dedicated to showcasing a selection of chilling short horror films. Come along and enjoy horror films that embrace the eerie, macabre, and supernatural, spanning various subgenres from classic slashers to supernatural thrillers to psychological horror. This diverse range ensures that our audience can immerse themselves in a spine-tingling atmosphere of cinematic scares. THE OLD HAIRDRESSER’S - 15 Feb, 4.30pm
EVENTS:
“Dè Thuirt Sibh?” Communal Filmmaking Workshops in Scottish Gaelic -
A workshop programme for Gaelic-speaking first-time animators, free to attend, funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Facilitated by Choirstaidh Iona. “Dè thuirt sibh?” is a brand new, experimental Gàidhlig and Irish Filmmaking project funded by the Bòrd na Gàidhlig Colmcille fund. Join us until Spring 2026 for a ten-workshop programme anns a’ Ghàidhlig, where we’ll produce an animated short film called “Dè thuirt sibh?”, on the theme of miscommunication. This project is strictly for first-time animators, no artistic background is necessary, but conversational-level Scottish Gaelic is a must. An Lòchran - 12 Feb, 6.30pm
Want a glimpse of what’s coming up before our weekly newsletter?
Cinetopia Connect lets you see events beyond our regular roundup, from events, screenings, job opportunities, festivals. It is also the best way to get your own listing featured here. Just create a quick profile (as a person or organisation) and upload your event. Submitting through the platform is now the only way to ensure we see it!
FURTHER AFIELD AND FURTHER AHEAD
Film-related treats happening around the rest of Scotland and UK!
EDINBURGH: MOVE Summit: Our annual conference in Edinburgh brings together creatives from film, television, advertising, games, and immersive arts to celebrate the art, craft and business of making things move. This flagship industry event showcases the best work from around the world and offers a place for industry leaders, support agencies, practitioners, educators and students to gather and get inspired. THE PLEASANCE 18-21 February
ELGIN - ELGIN FILM FESTIVAL: A new film festival in Moray, bringing together international award-winners, homegrown Scottish cinema, animation, family-friendly films and hands-on workshops. 19-22 Feb, Moray Playhouse and Elgin Town Hall
BO’NESS: Finis Terrae + 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
OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS / WORK OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP:
Licensing Intern - NBC Universal - As a Licensing Intern, you’ll be Supports Licensing Team to deliver results across all Licensee Partners, reporting to the Snr Marketing Manager. To join one of our 12-month Internships you must meet one of the following criteria:
You’re currently an undergraduate studying at University and returning to full time education in Autumn 2027
You’re looking to gain work experience after completing your A-Levels, an equivalent course or an Apprenticeship
Additionally, you must be eligible to work in the UK without restriction for the duration of the internship from Monday 29th June 2026 – Friday 23rd July 2027.
Film Programme Coordinator - Sheffield Doc Fest - Salary: £6,700 overall (£100 per day). This is a freelance contract role, requiring 67 days’ work (eight hour days) in total. Apply by 19 Feb
Assistant Programmer, DIRECTORS’ LIBRARY - DIRECTORS’ LIBRARY is looking for an Assistant Programmer (Shorts: Narrative Fiction & Documentary) to help manage and develop its short film programme. Working closely with the Senior Programmer, you will play a key role in shaping how shorts are programmed and distributed by the platform. £175 per month / 9 hours per month at £19.45/hr apply by 27 Feb
Filmmakers in Residence – NHS Lothian Charity: Tonic Arts is looking to appoint two experienced filmmaker-practitioners to further the participatory, creative residency across the Royal Edinburgh Hospital (REH), part-time over an 18 month period. apply by 27 February
Post-Production Project Coordinator - Voquent is seeking a full-time meticulous and energetic Project Coordinator to join our post-production team in Glasgow, UK. 26k to 28.5k / apply by 28 Feb
Volunteer Film Submission Reviewer - Norwich Film Festival | We’ll usually start you off with around 10-25 films of varying lengths between 1-25 minutes. Unpaid, apply by 20 Feb
Trainee Curators - The June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive and Afrika Eye Flm Festival have partnered to deliver Curating with Pan-African Cinema Archives, an eight-week paid traineeship for three people delivered in collaboration with the University of Bristol Film & TV Department, the Arnolfini and Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio. Bursary of £784, inclusive of tax, Apply by 13 Feb
COURSES & WORKSHOPS:
SCREEN SCOTLAND SUMMER SCHOOL 2026 The Summer School programme is an intensive learning opportunity to equip teachers with the subject knowledge required to deliver the film and screen curriculum. Deadline 1 March 2026
ICO Spring Screening Days 2026 - Do you work with film audiences? Do you want to watch the best upcoming indie and world cinema films? Screening Days is an in-person and online event where we preview key upcoming independent UK and international films so you can plan how to bring in new audiences for them. IN PERSON (BFI) 14 & 15 March, ONLINE 16-22 March
Practical Sound Design Online NFTS - An introduction to the principles of sound editing for film and TV. Sound design is the emotional heartbeat of a film, TV show or game, combining technical skills with a passion for telling stories through sound. Apply by 4 March
Bodies of Water: Documentary Filmmaking Workshop - A four week filmmaking course exploring the body and water in documentary - for women, trans and non binary people. Thursdays in February. This workshop is for those who have faced marginalisation in the film industry due to their gender, which includes women, trans and non-binary people. Spaces are available on a sliding scale basis from £140. Online. Deadline: 12 February 2026 at 18:00
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.
Storytelling for Animation: A three-day workshop designed to be informative and hands-on, helping you turn your idea into a narrative for animation.
The days will be split between talks introducing storytelling concepts and developing your own ideas. Students from previous workshops have gone on to use their animatic to seek funding and create award-winning short animations. NFTS Scotland 25-27 March, apply by 15 March
TEACHERS’ ONLINE FILM AND SCREEN TRAINING SESSIONS | Online training sessions for teachers in the new Film and Screen curriculum.
Following the announcement of the national rollout of Film and Screen into the Curriculum for Excellence as an expressive art, Screen Scotland is delighted to invite all teachers in primary and secondary settings from across Scotland to participate in the first in a series of training sessions on delivering the Film and Screen Curriculum. | Screen Scotland | Online workshops will run on Tuesdays or Thursdays until 17 March 2026
AWARDS / FESTIVALS:
FESTIVALS / ORGS LOOKING FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:
Call for Films GRiM’s debut club night celebrating Northern Feminity - Northern Femininity. We are low voices and high heels, girlhood and grossness, glitter and grit. And we are dancing our way out of the dark. Scotland and wider UK nights. Deadline 2 March
LandxSea Film Fest 2026 - Scotland’s environmental film festival – a long weekend of cinema, conversation, and community in the northeast, based in the coastal town of Montrose, where shifting dunes, rising seas, and rich wildlife make the climate story feel very close to home. Looking for compelling films exploring environmental challenges, innovative solutions, and the many ways people and nature shape one another. Whether it’s a gripping documentary, an artistic short, an experimental piece, or a powerful narrative, we want films that:
spark conversation
open up new perspectives
invite audiences to imagine, and build, better futures
Early bird deadline: 25 Feb / Festival: 11-13 Feb 2026 / MONTROSE, ANGUS
Edinburgh Short Film Festival Call for entries- 16th Edinburgh Short Film Festival Open For Entries - International Showcases & Awards. The 16th edition of the ESFF, with more short film screenings in Edinburgh, International Film Festival showcases, workshops and masterclasses, awards and industry networking. All genres / maximum 25 minutes. All films submitted eligible for Awards
Early Bird Deadline 20 Feb | EDINBURGHSI-FAN 2026 - SI-FAN is Scotland’s newest genre festival, with the aim of being the coolest film festival in Scotland and supporting the genre filmmaking community here. SI-FAN (Scottish International Fantastic Arts Network) is open for short film submissions. There is a dedicated Scottish short film award category. Deadline to submit: 22 February 2026 at 23:55
FUNDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, MENTORSHIPS:
BFI Film Academy Production Management Residential - An intensive, hands-on opportunity for aspiring film professionals 16 to 19 from across the UK. This programme is an intensive seven-day residential programme taking place in Edinburgh for 32 aspiring filmmakers aged 16–19 from across the UK, taking place from the 4th to the 10th of April 2026. Designed for those interested in careers within film and TV production, the course offers hands-on training in key roles such as producer, production manager, coordinator and assistant director. SCREEN EDUCATION EDINBURGH - Apply by 22 Feb
Grierson DocLab: New Entrants - UK-based people aged 18-25 have until 5pm on Thursday 19 February 2026 to apply for this prestigious training programme. Grierson DocLab: New Entrants aims to help people without connections to the factual TV and documentary industry take their first steps into securing the work experience and networks to succeed in the sector. Deadline 19 Feb
Creative Equity Drama IP Fund Channel 4 - Designed to support Ethnically diverse led indies secure and develop IP. The fund will provide support to option and secure rights to IP (eg. books, plays, web series) for projects that align with Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy and reflect diverse, authentic voices. Closes 13 Feb
Shore Scripts Short Film Fund - $15,000 production grant, $4000 finishing fund. Early deadline, 27 Feb.
BFI Discovery Feature Funding - Production funding of up to £1M for fictional features by debut directors. Round One closes 5 March 2026
Award: Earth Photo - a leading international platform for photographers and filmmakers who capture the natural world, its peoples and environments, and the urgent issues shaping our time. Earth Photo invites photographers and filmmakers from around the world to submit work that tells powerful stories about our planet… its landscapes and communities, its beauty and resilience, and the urgent challenges it faces. Awards up to £100. Deadline to submit, 4 March
BFI Creative Fund Opens | UK screen organisations can apply for funding ranging from £12,000 to £150,000 | Ongoing until March 2026
Schools Screen Education Fund | Funding to support schools across Scotland in their delivery of film and screen education. £500 - £5,000 per project. | Screen Scotland | apply before 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
NEWS:
Film stories, productions, news, reports, industry insights, and other tidbits that have caught our attention this week!
Strong January brings 18% year-on-year increase at UK-Ireland box office
Programme announced for Scotland’s favourite Silent Film Festival
Twilight star buys historic LA movie theater: ‘Something for the community’
kirsten stewart saves hollywood cinema
Film Festivals currently running / coming up:
Berlinale / 12–22 Feb 2026 / Berlin, Germany
Dublin International Film Festival / 19 Feb - 1 Mar / Dublin, Ireland
Glasgow Film Festival / 25 Feb - 8 March / Glasgow, UK
FrightFest Glasgow / 5-8 March / Glasgow, UK
Glasgow Short Film Festival / 18-22 March / Glasgow, UK