Glasgow Film Festival 2013

A quick overview of this year's Glasgow Film Festival reveals a festival that is growing. Since the Edinburgh Film Festival pulled it socks up last year, and reminded the world why it has a reputation with the big boys, GFF's continued emphasis on the audience rather the industry has seen it take an unlikely time of year and turn the ten days of film into an annual fixture.

There's a few obvious highlights: the final gala, for Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, is a perfect match for the GFF's mix of populist and serious art. Whedon is probably best known for his stint as the writer of The X-Men, following Grant Morrison's notorious run, but he was the script editor on some American soap and had a series about this cheerleader who killed vampires. Having shown his sensitivity to poetic language by having Thor argue with Loki during Avengers Assemble, his more DIY take on Shakespeare sees him embrace a more personal cinematography.

Jane Birkin, the woman who did the sexy bits on Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus has been booked before the festival even begins to remind older men why they associate the French language with unbridled sensuality: she's doing the Songs of Serge at The Arches. For those seeking a more austere musical pleasure, there's a day of live soundtracks over classic movies at the Sonic Cineplex. Jeff Mills is the big name, but Glasgow legend Twitch is going to do a number over Baraka, one of the best films ever that has no narrative, no characters and a rather explicit moral message.

Most excitingly for the visual art fans (and I am not saying, like Alan Moore, that film isn't great. It's just that sometimes, only the radical approach is going to cut it...) Entre chien et loup is taking over the Grand Central Hotel for a spot of experimental video action.

More news will follow: the Kapow strand is chock full of comic book fun and the short film festival is now its own thing, kicking off the fun early. There's even a movie about the man who started Scottish Ballet.


All over Glasgow, 14- 24 February