ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2012 – MARCH 2013
The best thing about the Festival is its focus on audiences... GFF – best fest in the UK!
Welcome from our CEO
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Glasgow Film Theatre
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Glasgow Film Festival
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Glasgow Short Film Festival
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Glasgow Youth Film Festival
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Glasgow Film Learning
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GFF AUDIENCE MEMBER
It’s all a cinema should be, fantastic choice of film from all over the world and a tremendous atmosphere. GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER
GFT Player
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Greening the Screen
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Cinema City
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Cinema 3
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Our Audiences
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Support Glasgow Film
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Our funders, board members and staff
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
NORD Architecture
Glasgow Film is the West of Scotland’s space for cultural exchange, promoting engagement, enjoyment, education, diversity and participation in film events and moving image media. Comprising Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow Film has had another very successful year. The two screens at GFT welcomed over 187,500 people of all ages during 2012–13, more than double the screen average for UK cinemas in 2012. We screened 570 films encompassing a range of cultural cinema, classics and documentaries, our own curated programmes and worked in partnership with Scottish and UK festivals, national organisations and community groups. In 2012, we also launched our new GFT Player, an online screen with new releases, classics and documentaries, designed to bring cinema to audiences who are not able to travel to GFT, or who wish to watch films at home or on the go. Following the success of the six-month trial we are looking to extend the project on a permanent basis. Our audience is at the centre of everything we do, and a significant part of our ongoing success. With this in mind we launched the GFT Loyalty Card and Youth Card in October to reward our audiences. Glasgow Film Festival is the fastest-growing film festival in the UK. Each year, the Festival attracts increased audiences and, continuing this trend, GFF13 was another record-breaking year with admissions of 39,106. GFF hosted a key event in London at Scotland House during the Olympic Games in the summer of 2012 on behalf of the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland to promote the Scottish film industry. We were delighted that the Scottish Government chose to further endorse GFF by directly funding a talent development initiative during Glasgow Short Film Festival this year. While GFT remains the hub of the Festival, we also work with a range of venues across the city, 27 in total this year, including CCA, Cineworld Renfrew Street, The Tall Ship, The Arches, Glasgow Cathedral and Grand Central Hotel. Our programme of 368 events, workshops, screenings and guest appearances included Scottish, UK, international and world premieres. Glasgow Film Learning engaged over 22,500 young people and adults in school screenings, discussion groups, free films and courses. We continue to work in partnership with Filmhouse and DCA, in the award-winning Young Cinema Audiences Network Scotland. 2014 promises to be an exciting year for Glasgow, but it is also an exciting anniversary year for Glasgow Film: 75 years of a cinema on our Rose Street site, 40 years since GFT opened and 10 years of Glasgow Film Festival. Jaki McDougall Chief Executive of Glasgow Film
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
GFT PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS GFT offers a selection of films that can’t be found in a mainstream cinema, and I like the fact that GFT operates on a not-for-profit basis. GFT exists to bring quality cinema to audiences, rather than to make money, and I’m happy to support that. GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER
From April 2012 – March 2013, GFT welcomed 187,576 admissions. 570 films from 43 countries were screened at GFT in 2012–13. Our most popular new releases this year have been Untouchables, The Angels’ Share and Jo Nesbo’s Headhunters.
To celebrate the diversity and quality of films made in Glasgow, GFT hosts regular ‘Cinema City’ screenings. Two stand-outs in this year’s strong programme were Ken Loach’s Cannes winner The Angels’ Share and Bertrand Tavernier’s 1970s cult sci-fi Death Watch, screening from a glorious new print.
In April GFT collaborated with GoMA and Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art to host Sculpture on Film, a popular two-part screening of rarely seen artists’ films. The films were chosen by artist Karla Black to coincide with a major exhibition of her work at GoMA.
Our short June season ‘Man and Beast’ explored some of the most powerful bonds between people and animals to be portrayed on the silver screen. Donkeys, dogs, leopards and grizzly bears starred in films by directors Robert Bresson, Howard Hawkes, Werner Herzog, Kelly Reichardt and Bill Viola.
The 19th Italian Film Festival in April was very well received. Programme highlights included a screening of the luscious Red Desert to mark the centenary of Michelangelo Antonioni’s birth, award-winning comedy The Immature and sinister sci-fi Wang’s Arrival.
The first CAN (Cinema Arts Network) screening took place in July with The Genius of Hitchcock: The Lodger. This high-speed digital cinecast featured a live score performed by Nitin Sawhney and the London Symphony Orchestra.
In April we were delighted to host a touring season of films by Czech animator Jiri Trnka (1912– 69). Dubbed ‘the Walt Disney of the East’, Trnka created groundbreaking puppet animations that influenced, amongst others, Czech moving image artists Jan Svankmajer and the Quay Brothers.
New York’s acclaimed showcase of odd and hilarious found videos – The Found Footage Festival – made its Scottish debut at GFT in July. The sold out event was hosted by funnymen Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show with David Letterman).
We took part in the UK Green Film Festival in May, showcasing films that engage with climate change themes. Audiences were encouraged to pedal power a screening of quirky animation Belleville Rendez-vous and take part in a fringe programme of free environmental workshops.
Alternative content screenings continue to be hugely popular: demand was so high for NT Live: Frankenstein (starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller) that we hosted six screenings in total.
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
Over 1,000 lovebirds swooned at our ‘Summer of Love’ season which brought nine classic and cult romances back to the big screen – from The Apartment to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In September we took part in the nationwide Scala Beyond festival, inspired by the infamous King’s Cross picture house. A short season of five films notoriously banned on first release pushed audiences outside their comfort zones, with Pasolini’s still shocking Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom drawing a big crowd. Crowdfunding, crowdsourcing and crowd distribution were the topics for discussion at FilmCamp in September. This free event, held as part of Social Media Week, included a presentation by shareable VoD inventors Distrify about our GFT Player. Scotland Loves Anime (an intensive weekend of the latest cutting-edge Japanese anime) returned for a third year in October when admissions swelled by 43% to almost 2,000. GFF’s experimental strand ‘Crossing the Line’ launched at GFT in October. Each month an artist, writer, musician or curator is invited to choose and introduce a film that has influenced their own creative practice. Participants have included Glaswegian Turner Prize-nominee Luke Fowler, musician Wounded Knee and filmmaker Maja Borg. Our online viewing platform, the GFT Player, officially launched in November. At the time of writing, there are 21 titles available to watch at home or on the go, with French farce The Women on the 6th Floor and bittersweet Japanese comedy Rent-a-Cat among the best sellers. November welcomed the 20th edition of the French Film Festival UK, with 25 Gallic delights including a biopic on Auguste Renoir, a stunningly restored print of Georges Méliès’ 1902 classic A Trip to the Moon and the latest Astérix and Obélix adventure in 3D. Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
Christmas time in Glasgow just wouldn’t be the same without GFT’s It’s a Wonderful Life screenings. Audiences of nearly 10,000 were given a warm festive glow. To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, GFT commissioned a new live score by Kim Moore (Zoey van Goey) and composer Gareth Griffiths to accompany Hell Unltd, the influential anti-war film directed by Glasgow School of Art graduate Helen Biggar (1909–1953) with collaborator Norman McLaren. The work of two masters of cinema was celebrated in March with the seasons: ‘Classic Polanski’ and ‘Terrence Malick: Film Poet’. Each year GFT’s programme is greatly enriched through collaborations with local and national organisations and community groups. This year we worked successfully with Refugee Week Scotland, Take One Action! Film Festival and Glasgay! amongst others, whilst also developing new relationships with the Pan Asia Film Festival, Africa in Motion Film Festival, the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and the UK Jewish Film Festival.
The best cinema in Scotland. GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL Stunning and unforgettable. Can’t wait for February 2014 to do it all over again. GFF AUDIENCE MEMBER If you love film, you’ll lose your heart to GFF! THE BIG ISSUE In 2013, Glasgow Film Festival staged the most ambitious programme in its nine-year history. There were a total of 368 screenings and unique events on offer at 27 venues across the city. The public responded in record numbers with attendance figures achieving an impressive 12% rise to over 39,000. The Festival celebrates every facet of the cinema-going experience from the mainstream to the experimental, the Hollywood blockbuster to the arthouse gem. Accessibility and friendliness has helped to build the Festival’s growing international reputation as an event that places the audience at the heart of its existence. From an unforgettable Festival curtain-raiser with Jane Birkin to the Closing Gala UK premiere of Much Ado About Nothing in the presence of superstar director Joss Whedon, the Festival welcomed an unprecedented line-up of guests that included Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan, director Regis Roinsard, Scottish actors Peter Mullan and James Cosmo, and Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond who introduced audiences to the delights of his Geek Night favourite John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars. The 2013 Festival was distinguished by a series of special screenings in venues across the city from a stunning performance of The Passion of Joan of Arc in Glasgow Cathedral to an anniversary knees-up with Calamity Jane at the Grand Ole Opry, as well as chances to experience Jaws and Peter Pan on the Tall Ship and a unique opportunity to go underground for our ‘Secret Subway’ event. Glasgow Short Film Festival and Glasgow Youth Film Festival continue to go from strength to strength and the Festival itself added Game Cats Go Miaow!, a hugely popular new strand curated by Robert Florence and devoted to all things gaming.
Comic legend Mark Millar is an indispensable ambassador for the Festival as the co-curator of Kapow! While Festival regulars from FrightFest to Crossing The Line grow in popularity and stature each year, the 2013 retrospective was devoted to the career of quintessential Hollywood tough guy James Cagney and this year’s country focus revealed the new voices and award-winning achievements in Brazilian cinema. The Festival prides itself on a commitment to screening Scottish work and celebrating Scottish achievement. Home-grown highlights this year included the world premiere of May Miles Thomas’s highly acclaimed The Devil’s Plantation, mass participation project We Are Northern Lights, Scott Graham’s award-winning feature debut Shell and an In Conversation event with veteran actor James Cosmo. The Festival is the work of a hugely dedicated, hard-working team who are passionate about film and tireless in their efforts to make Glasgow the best film festival in the world. The Festival is an unmissable annual highlight in the cultural life of the city. We are hugely appreciative of the financial support and encouragement from our partners at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, EventScotland and Creative Scotland, and all our sponsors and programme partners. 2014 marks the Festival's tenth edition and with everyone’s help we promise it will be a Festival to remember.
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
Thank you to Allan and Allison and Glasgow Film Festival for including this film and letting us close it out, it’s a huge thing for us. I think you may see when you see the film, that we really had no idea if anyone was ever actually going to see it, we just wanted to do something which we loved. JOSS WHEDON, DIRECTOR OF MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
FESTIVAL FACTS & FIGURES There were 39,106 admissions in 2013, an increase of nearly 12% on GFF12. 368 screenings and events took place during GFF, GYFF and GSFF. 97% of Festival attendees rated the programme as ‘good’ or ‘very good.’ Events took place in 27 different venues across the city including GFT, CCA, Cineworld Renfrew Street, The Arches, Grand Central Hotel, The Old Fruitmarket, Film City, Glasgow Cathedral, the Grand Ole Opry, SWG3 and The Tall Ship. 192 feature films and 1,012 short films were submitted by filmmakers for our consideration. Our programme included films from 53 different countries including Poland, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Denmark, Croatia, India, South Korea, Norway, South Africa and Syria. 205,580 website visits came from 147 countries/territories during January and February 2013. This represents an increase of 10% from GFF12.
The dedicated YouTube channel for Glasgow Film Festival hosted 26 videos created by GFF13, which has received a total of 35,715 views to date. Our GFF Twitter and Facebook have a combined reach of 18,519, with Glasgow Film Festival trending on Twitter the day tickets went on sale. Glasgow Youth Film Festival’s programme of 66 public and schools events was attended by 8,835 people. A total of 1,003 individual press items appeared online, in print and in broadcast media, an increase of 109% on Glasgow Film Festival 2012. We booked 342 nights in seven Glasgow hotels for our 273 industry guests, including filmmakers, producers, actors and distributors. A 30-second Festival trailer was screened in 33 cinema screens throughout the UK to over 256,400 cinema-goers.
Over 1,250 posters of various sizes were placed in venues, outdoor locations and transport hubs across Scotland and the North of England. We worked with six media partners: The Skinny, The List, Sunday Herald, STV, The Big Issue and Radio Clyde, to deliver a broad range of advertising, competitions and the independent daily Festival paper, The Skinny’s CineSkinny. The Festival generated net additional expenditure at the Glasgow level of £1.58m and £1.41m at the Scotland level. Return on Investment was £1:£7.89 at the Glasgow and £1:£6.98 at the Scotland level. In September 2012, Glasgow Film won the Creative Marketing Award at the Glasgow Business Awards, organised by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, for the marketing campaign for GFF12.
60,000 GFF13 brochures were distributed across the country; 236,000 flyers were distributed in the Sunday Herald and The Guardian in Scotland and the North of England.
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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GLASGOW SHORT FILM FESTIVAL In just six years Glasgow Short Film Festival has established itself as Scotland’s flagship short film event, the largest annual showcase of emerging Scottish film talent and a key meeting point for local and international filmmakers. The sixth edition featured 113 films from 30 different countries, screening in 44 programmes and events. In 2013, total attendance was 2,290, representing an increase of 15% on 2012. 108 filmmaker guests and industry delegates attended the Festival, travelling from the USA, Canada, Algeria, Romania, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Ireland and the UK. An international jury awarded the Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film to the Brazilian film Enraged Pigs, directed by Isabel Penoni and Leonardo Sette, whilst the Scottish Short Film Award, sponsored by Glasgow restaurant Mother India, was presented to Pouters by Paul Fegan. The Festival showcased the work of Danish filmmaker Caroline Sascha Cogez in two programmes, and a selection of films from the MFA Film Program at Columbia University, NYC. Columbia professor and independent filmmaker Tom Kalin staged an unmissable directing workshop. In collaboration with MeCCSA Women’s Media Studies Network, GSFF13 hosted an academic symposium on female authorship, whilst lively discussion was generated at the provocatively titled event ‘Why Can’t Women Make Feature Films?’ Thanks to the direct support of the Scottish Government, GSFF13 was able to host several key international talent spotters and short film buyers. GSFF, funded by Creative Scotland, is committed to promoting the work of emerging Scottish filmmakers internationally, and the Festival looks forward to showcasing Scottish film at festivals in Italy and Croatia later this year. Glasgow Short Film Festival 2014 will take place from 13 –16 February.
The Festival presented a great opportunity to meet other international filmmakers as well as festival programmers and distributors. The atmosphere at the Festival made it easy for me to approach people. LEWIS ARNOLD, FILMMAKER A fantastic, intense experience... it plunged me into the Glasgow scene. VAHNI CAPILDEO, INTERNATIONAL JURY GSFF was the ideal host for the symposium on Female Authorship... The Festival has a reputation for organising symposia that foster open and lively debate across a diverse range of subjects and disciplines. SARAH NEELY, UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING Thank you for the inspiration and keep up the good work. LIAM YOUNG, FILMMAKER
The three days I spent at GSFF were simply incredible. Each day I would go home in awe of the work that had been screened and inspired by the creative minds responsible. The whole experience was a breath of fresh air that has motivated me to start writing a number of new short films. GSFF AUDIENCE MEMBER
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
GLASGOW YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF), which is curated with a team of young people aged 15–19, celebrated its fifth birthday by delivering its most ambitious and dynamic Festival yet. Members of the GYFF Youth Team introduced each screening, as well as directing a well-received pastiche of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial that played before every film. Selected previews ranged from Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill to The We and the I by Michel Gondry. Special guests included the cast of Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and Hollywood actor John C Reilly (We Need To Talk About Kevin and Wreck-it Ralph). One of the most successful events was an outdoor screening of Girl Walk // All Day, a film about young people dancing across New York City. Developed in association with Pidgin Perfect and Glasgow City Council, over 150 people danced along to the film in a transformed location next to the River Clyde. GYFF had a bumper year for schools screenings. Support from Glasgow City Council Education Services allowed Glasgow schools to attend events free of charge. Thanks to continued sponsorship by Muvizu and new partners Glasgow Airport Flight Path Fund, 50 schools were able to access free and subsidised transport. Glasgow Youth Film Festival welcomed 8,835 admissions to its public and schools programme in 2013.
Girl Walk // All Day was a fantastic chance for Pidgin Perfect to work with GYFF to deliver a unique outdoor temporary cinema event. MARC CAIRNS, DIRECTOR, PIDGIN PERFECT Glasgow Youth Film Festival is a unique experience, because it’s a Festival curated by its audience. It’s as far from the backslapping industry fishbowl as you can get –- it seems run on undiluted enthusiasm. SAM BAIN, CREATOR OF FRESH MEAT
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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GLASGOW FILM LEARNING Learning is central to the ethos of Glasgow Film. We encourage our audiences to develop a lifelong appreciation of films and offer opportunities for people of all ages to learn about cinema and experience its diversity. 2012–13 has seen consolidation of existing activity and the introduction of new learning initiatives.
Developing Adult Audiences
Courses
Glasgow Film aims to nurture enthusiasm for cinema. We do this by offering audiences a chance to engage in discussion about the films we show. In 2012–13, GFT commissioned 34 programme notes from local film critics and academics. These pieces of extended film criticism are made available to audiences online and in cinemas, and encourage emerging writers. In the same period, GFT hosted 110 introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers, writers, academics and organisations. High-profile visitors included writer Ian Rankin who spoke with Mark Millar about his choice of Geek Film, Martin (1976), Richard Hell for Wise Blood (1979) with Monorail Film Club, Jack Bond to introduce his classic experimental film Anti-Clock (1979) and composer Fabio Frizzi to discuss his work on Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979). By satellite link-up, GFT was further able to present Q&As with musician James Murphy (Shut Up and Play the Hits, 2012) and Ken Loach (The Spirit of ’45, 2013).
In 2012–13, GFT ran four cycles of its popular ten-week Contemporary Cinema course, a beginners-level evening class in film studies led by academics from Glasgow University. GFT also offered a six-week intermediate-level class on The Films of Pedro Almodovar. An eight-week beginners-level course in Screenwriting, led by filmmaker Ian Waugh, was also popular.
In March, screenwriter David Griffiths presented a curated season on ‘Making Meaning’ in film. David examined suspense and narrative construction in four films from the 1950s to the present day by presenting an extended introduction to each film. In 2012, GFT continued to host informal Screen Salons with post-screening discussions. Glasgow Film is the home for regular informal film discussion groups, including a Horror/Cult group, the Film Discussion Group with Eddie Harrison, and the GFT Film Quiz.
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POP-UP! Programmers In November 2012, Glasgow Film began a new training initiative for young adults aged 18–24. POP-UP! Programmers is giving a group of young adults the skills, contacts and confidence they need to be able to create their own film events in their communities. The project is funded by Young Start.
Engaging Young Audiences Thanks to the loyal support of Glasgow City Council Education Services and The Robertson Trust, Glasgow Film offers children and families regular opportunities to engage with contemporary world cinema. We believe attending the cinema is a culturally rich experience. Our activities enable young audiences to access thoughtful and diverse films that reflect modern perspectives on young lives and help children develop their aspirations.
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
Take 2 and Access Take 2 – Free Screenings for Families Take 2 is our programme of Saturday matinees for families at GFT. Screenings are free to Glasgow Young Scot and Kidz Card holders plus an accompanying adult. Over 100,000 children have attended Take 2 screenings since screenings began in 2004. In 2012–13, we had 14,089 admissions. In 2008 GFT launched Access Take 2, the first autism-friendly screenings for children and their families to take place in a Scottish cinema. In 2012 –13 admissions were 548. “My child would not be able to access the cinema without the weekly screenings. I am in receipt of benefits and unable to afford this type of outing. Take 2 is a great gift to Glasgow kids – long may it continue.” Take 2 audience member
Reaching Schools and Education Professionals
In 2012–13, Glasgow Film attracted 12,919 school pupils and teachers despite ongoing pressures on teachers to reduce costs and time spent out of school. Thanks to core funding from Glasgow City Council Educational Services, the majority of our events are free for Glasgow Local Authority schools. “An inspiring film and very well organised. It was fantastic for pupils to meet the cast of Fast Girls. The Q&A was an excellent addition to the event.” Teacher feedback from a special school preview of Fast Girls, June 2012.
Young Cinema Audiences Network Scotland (YCANS) Glasgow Film works with other cinema exhibitors to extend the life and reach of our activities as part of the Young Cinema Audiences Network Scotland (YCANS). In particular, we have continued to collaborate with Filmhouse and DCA after we jointly received the prestigious Europa Cinemas Award for Young Audiences (2011).
Schools Screenings Glasgow Film is a leader in Scotland for working with schools in a cinema context. We work closely with teachers and educational partners to ensure that our school events are affordable, tied to the curriculum and relevant to young people’s concerns. Teachers appreciate that we actively engage pupils through discussion, workshops or follow-up activities at our screenings.
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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A splendidly spiffing idea. Quality curated independent films in the comfort of one’s own home. @scotsguy_61 GEEKGASM! Not only is there a movie of Junji Ito's Gyo manga, I can stream it from the GFT for £3.49! @AidanJohnMoffat I am a single mother and I love independent films and world cinema. I never really have any free time to come to GFT… the Player is a Godsend. GFT Player customer
In June 2012 GFT received funding from Nesta’s Digital R&D Fund, Scotland, to work together with Edinburgh’s Filmhouse and technical partners Distrify to set up a specially programmed online viewing platform. The GFT Player launched in November as part of a six-month trial project, offering audiences the chance to stream GFT-curated films at home or on mobile devices, whenever suits them. The main aims of the Player are to allow us to reach audiences who may be unable to attend the cinema due to geographic restraints or lack of time, and to extend and diversify our overall programme. At the time of writing, there are 21 films on offer on the GFT Player. This selection includes new releases which have screened simultaneously on the Player and in the cinema; films which have previously screened at GFT and then been added to the Player; and films that are only available on the Player. Interestingly, the two best-selling films – French farce The Women on the 6th Floor and bittersweet Japanese comedy Rent-a-Cat – are only available online in the UK via the GFT and Filmhouse Players. We are currently undertaking detailed research into the data gathered during the trial project and are seeking further funding to allow us to develop the Player as a new business model.
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
GREENING THE SCREEN Environmental matters are a fundamental part of Glasgow Film’s ethos and we’re working to extend these principles to our creative partners, staff, suppliers and patrons. In accordance with the targets and objectives set out in our Environmental Policy, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint. In June 2012, GFT became the first cinema in the UK to be Industry Green certified with a 2 star certification from Julie’s Bicycle, who provide environmental sustainability expertise to the creative industries. Carbon emissions have been decreased by 10% (or 12 tonnes CO2) between 2010/11 and 2011/12. Compared to Julie’s Bicycle’s venue benchmarks, GFT currently uses 57% less gas than the average cultural venue. Glasgow Film use cinema to raise awareness and showcase green ideas and innovations, including continued involvement in the annual UK-wide Green Film Festival. Staff and volunteers undergo regular training on waste practices and are encouraged to use active and sustainable types of transport with the Better Way to Work campaign, in partnership with Glasgow Bike Station. Plans are in place for a new, more efficient boiler system and LED lighting in summer 2013. Our current Environmental Policy, carbon footprint analysis and Green Blog can be found on the Going Green section of our website: www.glasgowfilm.org/goinggreen. Our Environmental Policy is reviewed annually in June. The GFT will soon launch BS 8909 standard, a new sustainability standard for the British film industry endorsed by the BFI.
We have to constantly re-evaluate what we mean by green; we have to do that in film, in art, and in our general expression. There are issues to do with how we generate energy and how we deal with waste; but there are also issues to do with communities and with the economic power relationships between those communities and big business... Going green isn’t just about sticking up a few windmills. It’s a much broader agenda for the whole world. PATRICK HARVIE, MSP
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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During the 1930s, Glasgow boasted more cinemas per head of population than anywhere else outside the US and is now home to some of the busiest cinemas in the UK. Cinema City is our online celebration of filmmaking and cinema-going heritage in the city. The Cinema City website was relaunched in November 2012 with a new Memory Engine designed to encourage visitors to share their film experiences and has gathered a rich treasure trove of memories documenting Glasgow’s love affair with going to the pictures. Our interactive maps, features and audio tours allow visitors to explore famous Glasgow filmmaking locations, history, news, and sites of former and current cinemas. Since the project began, GFT has held monthly screenings of Glasgow-made films. In 2012, classics such as The Steamie, Madeleine and Death Watch screened alongside popular new releases The Angels’ Share and Up There, highlighting the breadth of the city’s cultural talents. Throughout the year we have offered guided tours led by local historians Gordon Barr and Gary Painter, beginning at the former cinema Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, along Sauchiehall Street and finishing at the site of the first ever film to be shown in Glasgow. During Glasgow Film Festival we collaborated with Walking Heads to create the highly successful Cinema City Treasure Hunt. We were overwhelmed by the participants’ enthusiasm for this sold-out event and interest in the city’s unique cinema heritage.
From the Memory Engine: A happy cinema memory is going on a blind date to The Hillhead [Picture Salon] on Byres Road in 1948. My blind date and I have now been married for 61 years and still love the pictures. PEGGY BURKE Just arrived in Glasgow for the first time – trying to decide if I would make Glasgow my home. Came to GFT, saw Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot'’s Holiday and decided Glasgow was for me. Thanks to GFT! ISOBEL WILKIE
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
CINEMA 3 NORD Architecture
Glasgow is a city that has long been in love with the movies. It is a love affair which has helped turn our city into the centre of Scotland’s film and television industry. COUNCILLOR GORDON MATHESON, LEADER OF GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL GFT plans to create a new third cinema at its Rose Street premises. The stylish sixty-seat screen will offer a comfortable and high quality viewing experience. Cinema 3 will be located on the former site of Café Cosmo. The addition of the third screen will entail an intelligent reworking of GFT’s listed premises: a renovation of the foyer to include a new bar area, while a redesign of the upstairs bar will create a flexible social and meeting space. The development will improve disabled access through the installation of a lift providing access to the upstairs mezzanine area, and to the Educational Suite and Staff and Volunteers Hub above. GFT’s green credentials will be enhanced through adding low energy lighting and a new boiler. Award-winning Glasgow-based NORD Architecture and Harry Wood of tX-2 Project Management have been engaged to develop the project. Major funding partners of Cinema 3 are Glasgow City Council, Creative Scotland, The Robertson Trust, and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Glasgow Film Festival is the fastest-growing film festival in the UK and, with GFT as its hub, our new cinema screen will allow us to increase our Festival audiences as we look towards our tenth anniversary in 2014, including a home for the Youth Team who curate Glasgow Youth Film Festival. BAILLIE LIZ CAMERON, CHAIR OF GLASGOW FILM
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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Glasgow Film audiences are all ages and come from across the city, Scotland and beyond. We engage with our audiences: > Through our monthly GFT brochure (270,000 per year) and our GFF brochure (60,000 copies for GFF13). > Via Twitter to promote, inform and connect our audiences with film events. Our combined followers on Twitter (@glasgowfilm, @glasgowfilmfest, @glasgowyouth and @GlasgowSFF) total 33,621. > Through GFF, GFT, green and schools e-newsletters to 21,400 subscribers. > Via GFT, Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow Youth Film Festival and Glasgow Short Film Festival Facebook pages which have a combined total of 21,749 likes. > Our blog throughout the year to share news on GFF, GFT, Glasgow Film Learning, green issues and industry news. > Through our website www.glasgowfilm.org which received 694,689 visits and 2,667,478 page views between April 2012 and March 2013.
I spent one (unforgettable) week in Glasgow for the Film Festival and, on most occasions, I just turned up, made a choice based on instinct and watched films I might not have watched. The Festival was an eye-opener and a challenge to my hitherto conventional/set way to go about choosing a film. GFF AUDIENCE MEMBER
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
The GFT is one of the reasons I love cinema so much and has given me so many special memories, films that moved me, made me think and shocked me. My mother used to go to the cinema when it was the Cosmo and it is just such a beautiful theatre to watch a film. It is an important place in Glasgow and Scottish culture when so many lovely cinemas have been lost to redevelopment. It is a place that has a soul and for that reason it should be supported. GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER I cannot express how important I think the GFT is! There are so few independent cinemas in our country, and being Glaswegian I am incredibly proud that the GFT remains and thrives. I am a single parent of a fabulous two-year-old boy, and I look forward to sharing the GFT with him as he grows into a GFT loving adult! GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER
One can tell the programme has been selected by people who are interested in film and who want to both share that love and entertain, illuminate, shock, educate, thrill and cause all the physical and emotional responses that make cinema so wonderful – but also because there's a vibe and an atmosphere at GFT that makes one feel at home and amongst friends. It has soul and life and memories and one senses that upon arrival. GFT AUDIENCE MEMBER
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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SUPPORT GLASGOW FILM Arts & Business Scotland helps strengthen communities by developing creative and effective partnerships between business and the arts. We were very pleased to enhance the partnership of Glasgow Film Festival with its three new Sponsors through a New Arts Sponsorship grant, and hope that their example will inspire other Sponsors to join GFF, one of the UK’s fastest growing film festivals. ARTS & BUSINESS SCOTLAND
As a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity, Glasgow Film depends on public funding, sponsorship and support from trusts and individuals to deliver the expansive range of our cultural and educational activities, and to pioneer and develop new projects. Glasgow Film’s core public partners are Creative Scotland, Glasgow City Council, and Europa Cinemas Media Programme, with additional investment from Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and EventScotland for GFF. The continued support of The Robertson Trust, Hugh Fraser Foundation and Esterson Trust also make a difference to our work. Glasgow Film’s success of developing creative partnerships with commercial sponsors has garnered awards. The Wee Curry Shop won a Commendation at Arts & Business Scotland Awards 2012 for its inaugural sponsorship of GSFF’s Scottish Short Film Award and for GFT’s Access Take 2 autism-friendly screenings. GFF13 welcomed three new sponsors: Link-Tel Communications, Grand Central Hotel and Boteco Do Brasil. As first time sponsors of the Arts, these three companies were awarded a New Arts Sponsorship Grant funded by the Scottish Government in conjunction with Arts & Business Scotland to extend their commercial benefits. Individuals equally play their part. Our new Cinema 3 at GFT offers a Seat Sponsorship scheme with special commemorative plaques, and Glasgow Film took part in Love the Arts, Leave to the Arts pilot of Arts & Business Scotland, promoting Legacy giving for the future of arts organisations. GFT has been hired for memorials, birthday and wedding celebrations, showing how deeply our cinema is connected with people’s lives. To support Glasgow Film, contact Liana Marletta, Development Executive, on 0141 352 8604 or liana.marletta@glasgowfilm.org. For information on hiring GFT, please contact Angela Freeman, Senior Front of House Manager at angela.freeman@glasgowfilm.org
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Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
Key Funders
Board of Directors Neil Baxter, Colin Beattie, Bailie Liz Cameron (Chair), Cllr Frank Docherty, David Gordon, Steve Inch, Andrew Leitch, Nosheena Mobarik, Sue Robinson, Jackie Shearer, Susan Stewart, Eleanor Yule, Paul Zealey.
Board Observers Simon Biggam (Glasgow Life), Sambrooke Scott (Creative Scotland).
Year-round Staff Michael Benjamin Finance Assistant, Malcolm Brown Deputy Technical Manager, Julie Cathcart Head of Communications & Marketing, Damien Chalmers Bar Staff, Seonaid Daly Festival Producer, Marjolein den Bakker VoD Project Coordinator, Maria Di Mario Front of House & Box Office Manager, Louise Donoghue Pop-Up! Programmers Coordinator, Robbie Duncan Projectionist, Marisol Erdman Bar & Door Staff, Amy Eusebi Bar Staff, Esther Fagan Commercial Partnerships Officer, Angela Freeman Senior Front of House Manager, Kevin Frew Bar Staff, Allison Gardner Head of Cinemas & Festival Co-Director, Mirren Green Box Office Staff, Janice Halkett Cleaner, Jane Hartshorn Marketing Assistant, Allan Hunter Festival Co-Director, Sam Kenyon Bar Staff, Matt Lloyd GSFF Director, Rachael Loughlan Front of House Manager & Environmental Coordinator, Margaret Lynch Head Cleaner, Barney McCue Technical Manager, Sadie McCue Bar Cleaner, Mairi McCuish Cleaner & Usher, Jaki McDougall Chief Executive, Murray McGrinder Bar Staff, Paul Macgregor Learning Programmer for Young Audiences, Alex Mackenzie Bar & Door Staff, Chris MacMillan Bar & Door Staff, Liana Marletta Development Executive, Carolyn Mills Marketing Coordinator, Marion Morrison Cleaner, Emily Munro Head of Learning, William Nation Cleaner, Corinne Orton Programme Development Manager, Marion Pearson Financial Controller, Jenny Reburn Box Office Staff, John Skivington Cleaner & Bar Staff, Johny Thompson Relief Duty Manager, Door & Bar Staff, Amy Tickell Box Office Staff, Adam Turner-Heffer Box Office Staff, Bryan Wilson Front of House & Bar Manager, David Wylie Projectionist.
Year-round staff who have left this year Tamara Anderson Learning & Events Manager, Andi Denny Marketing Assistant, Grant Fullerton Bar Staff, Sean Kerr Bar & Kitchen Staff, Nick Milligan Door & Bar Staff, Daniel Pryde Box Office Staff, Fiona Shaw Front of House & Box Office Manager, Katrine Turner Bar Staff, Louise Wilson Bar Staff.
Long-Term Temporary Staff Julia Bryce Festival Guest Assistant, Hannah Cosgrove Festival Press Assistant, Morvern Cunningham GSFF Coordinator, Laura Doherty Festival Press & Marketing Assistant, Toyah Gemmill Digital Marketing Assistant, Sean Greenhorn Festival Assistant, Debbie Hannan Box Office Staff, Dom Hastings Print Traffic Coordinator, Kirstin Innes Festival Press Coordinator, Kimberley McCann Festival Ticketing Assistant, Sinead McGinley Events Assistant, Erin McGrath Box Office Staff, Sarah Muir Festival Coordinator, Nav Noorbakhsh Festival Assistant, Kristopher Reid Festival Volunteer Coordinator.
GFT Volunteers Anne Downie, Aileen Jardine, Alice Freeman, Alicia Shaw, Angela-Mariana Aranghelovici, Anna Knox, Avril Cadden, Bicola Barratt-Crane, Bridget McGeechan, Calum Nielsen, Caroline Carlisle, Caroline Robertson, Catherine McBride, Celaen Chapman, Danny McFadden, Elara Brooks, Ellie Harrison, Emily Shepherd, Finn Aschavir, Fiona Dunn, Frederick Weedon, Gabrielle Smith, Gary Higgins, Gary Watson, Gill Gordon, Gordon Whitelaw, Iain Campbell, Ieva Rotomskyte, Jamie Wood, Jim Dutch, John Davie Calder, John McGreevy, Joshua Slater-Williams, Kamila Szachnitowska, Katherine Matthews, Katie Herd, Laura Aitchison, Louise Mackie, Lynsey Clelland, Margaret McInnes, Margaret McLaughlin, Margaret McMahon, Margaret Simpson, Margarethe MacPherson, Martyn Burrow, Mary Mason, Maylene Dennery, Maxine Hawthorn, Melissa Merkle, Michael Stewart, Moira Aherne, Natasha Rapkin, Nikki Kane, Omiros Vazos, Paul Devine, Raymond Scanlan, Sandra Ardao, Sanne Jehoul, Sarah Emery, Sarah Henderson, Sheena MacLean, Sheila Robertson, Sinead McGinley, Stephanie Cattigan, Stuart Dale, Stuart Little, Stuart Paterson Lowson, Susan Christie, Susan Gallagher, Thomas Joseph Crawford, Tom Rigg, Valerie Wilson, Wai Hung Chan. And thanks to all our GFF volunteers and staff at partner venues.
Glasgow Film Annual Review April 2012 – March 2013
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THE INDEPENDENT
2014 Festival dates: Glasgow Film Festival 20 February – 2 March Glasgow Youth Film Festival 2 –12 February Glasgow Short Film Festival 13 –16 February
Glasgow Film 12 Rose Street Glasgow G3 6RB +44 (0)141 332 6535 www.glasgowfilm.org Glasgow Film is an operating name of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). A company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland No. 97369 with its registered office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB. GFT is registered as a charity (No SC005932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Photography by Eoin Carey, Stuart Crawford and Neil Douglas.
Plenty of silver linings to light up the winter gloom in Glasgow.