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FILM FESTIVAL 14 TO 24 FEBRUARY
THURSDAY 12 February 09
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Starry Starry Night Tonight’s opening gala is worth getting a little starry-eyed about. Gail Tolley reports. The world of film has always been star-studded. Stars on the screen, stars on the red-carpet and, if you’re lucky, stars splashed across the critics’ reviews. Well this year we are lucky, as both are in abundance for tonight’s opening gala performance. Glasgow-born director Armando Iannucci’s political satire In the Loop will be getting its UK premiere in his home city. Fresh from Sundance, this black comedy has been totting up the column inches as critics get excited about what could be one of the highlights of 2009 (indeed The Times’ Damon Wise has already commented that “it might even be the best British film of the year”). The film focuses on the ‘special’ relationship between the US and the UK in the run up to an unspecified war in the Middle East (no prizes for guessing what that’s alluding to). Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), the secretary for state for the Department of International Development, gets swept up in a whirlwind of political spin as he becomes a pawn for governments
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on both sides of the Atlantic. Similar in style and content to his TV series In the Thick of It, In the Loop is certainly ripe for the US’ increasing appetite for satirical British comedy, a fact that meant it was quickly snapped up by a US distributor earlier this year. And there’s no reason to think that it won’t go down just as well with British audiences well accustomed to the deadpan humour of programmes like The Office and The Royle Family. It certainly provides a refreshing alternative to the Richard Curtis comedies that Britain’s film industry has been known for in recent years. Iannucci isn’t the only Scottish presence in the film: fellow Scot Peter Capaldi takes centre stage as spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. It’s exciting to have such a highly anticipated film with such fantastic local talent making its UK debut here in Glasgow. With a bit of glitz and glamour and a fine film to match, this year’s opening gala is likely to be one to remember.
Of all the daily film magazines in all the towns in all the world, pick up one of ours. Welcome to The Cine Skinny, your indispensable guide to all things GFF. There’s so much going on, you could feel more spoiled than Roger Moore in a safari suit shop, so we’ll be keeping you up-to-date with all the gossip from filmmakers and audiences (but don’t go expecting scandal), offering our recommendations on what to see and the best places to be, and provide you with all you’ll need to know about the strands, screenings and soirees of the Glasgow Film Festival. The Skinny is recognised as Scotland’s leading culture and listings publication, so you know you’re in safer hands than a bad script on Michael Winner’s coffee table. Enjoy!
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the 14 TO cineskinny 24 FEBRUARY Produced by The Skinny magazine in association with the Glasgow Film Festival EDITORS Gail Tolley
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Michael Gillespie Jen Davies
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GFF Office 14 TO Box 24 FEBRUARY
Order tickets from the box office at www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk or call 0141 332 6535 or visit Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB info@glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk