Now in its 12th year, Glasgow Film Festival returns with several offerings to tempt the musically minded. Where You’re Meant To Be is a road trip through Scotland’s folk music heritage by Arab Strap alumnus and formidable performer in his own right, Aidan Moffat. On Friday 19th February the production is being shown at the legendary Barrowland Ballroom. Rock solid stalwart of the city’s scene the venue is showing a film for the first time in its illustrious history. Accompanied by a performance from Aidan’s own band – featuring members of The Twilight Sad and Bdy_Prts – and including a 7″ vinyl pressing of music from the film, the pleasingly and heroically dingy hall, haunted by gigs by everyone from David Bowie to Primal Scream to Metallica (their favourite venue apparently) to…well, everyone really, looks the perfect location for wry observations on a country’s musical past and present. Any cinematic effort that includes the line, “My version [of ‘The Ball of Kirriemuir’] is what I think most people would feel like if they went to an orgy at a town hall“, is surely unmissable.
Speaking of Bowie, up he pops at the Planetarium on Tuesday 23rd February. Or, more specifically, up pops The Man Who Fell To Earth. A suitable astronomic space to see the Nicolas Roeg classic. The never less than perennial Mr Bowie being back in the game with his Blackstar album due 8th January 2016.
Rounding things up – in terms of music anyway – is This is Now: Film and Video After Punk (1978-85). Showing at The Tramway, currently hosting the Turner Prize exhibition, this is a series of digitally remastered archive films by artists such as John Maybury, Grayson Perry, Cordelia Swann and Jill Westwood, many of which have been out of circulation for over thirty years. The exhibition will be accompanied by a night celebrating the spirit of punk and New Wave, with musicians and DJs including Optimo’s JD Twitch. Exhibition 25-27th, live presentation Sat 26th Feb.
Across the rest of the twelve day extravaganza sponsored by Scottish Power you can catch everything from site specific performances such as The Silence Of The Lambs with a live organ accompaniment in the suitably Gothic environs of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery to UK premieres of the Coen Brothers‘ latest Hail, Caesar! (Wednesday 17th) and Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa (Sunday 28th). Throw in some live workshops on the likes of inspiration and funding for aspiring movie makers and you have a fully rounded programme for one of the UK’s premier film fortnights.
Kick off those mid winter blues.
http://visitgff.glasgowfilm.org/
