For the past 6 months I've been lucky enough to play a part in putting together this year’s 14th (2nd digital) annual edition of The Glasgow Short Film Festival, as just a wee cog in a team filled to the brim with incredible film folk. Having worked on the festival’s past two editions, it’s been hard to ignore the fact that GSFF truly is the coolest film festival around, showcasing a uniquely crafted programme of Scottish and International shorts with style. There is an infectious energy that radiates from working with the Glasgow Short team that has kept my spirits high and mind busy throughout a very long lockdown. Where there was room for my creative aspirations to falter in isolation, GSFF has provided a much needed nourishment for my love of film and the exhibition sector, which I very much hope you will join me in appreciating.
This year, The Glasgow Short Film Festival will be streaming live and on demand via a bespoke digital platform, bursting at the seams with the best ‘diddy wee films’ Scotland and the rest of the world have to offer. Despite kicking off last night with a brilliant opening ceremony, there’s still plenty of time to indulge, with tickets for the entire festival available on a Pay-What-You-Can sliding tier ranging from £7-£14. As the festival has already started, I thought it best to offer a brief personal selection from this year’s programme, giving a small insight into what’s still left to consume…
If, like me, you’ve spent most of lockdown searching ‘cute puppies doing funny things’ over and over on your Instagram discover feed, then look no further - this is the programme for you. Curated by Submissions Viewer Jessica McGoff and Festival Co-Director Sanne Jehoul, Big Dog Energy provides some much needed pet-therapy through an array of furry philosophers, spirit guides, models, labourers and all-round very good boys.
Top programme picks:
Mutts
Dog Of My Dreams
Archie
You can watch Big Dog Energy on demand for the rest of the festival period.
Filling the void of smoking area besties, mindless DJ sets and 5am clatty gaffs, GSFF’s Bangers and Mosh programme brings ‘da club’ straight to your living room, packed with noise, nostalgic beats and sweaty strangers. This intimate offering of a world that seems more distant now than ever is intensely satisfying, where a festival intended to be viewed at home can be more than just a brief distraction, but a solicitous simulation of post-pandemic debauchery.
Top programme picks:
Dustin
Zopa - Diamonds into Dust
Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore
Bangers and Mosh will stream live this Friday at 22.15, then is available on demand for 48 hours.
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film is undoubtably my favourite programme in the festival. I have been incredibly lucky to have helped in this years selection process, where intently listening to my fellow submission viewers fight for their favourites has been a festival highlight; to be inundated with exceptional shorts is one thing, but finding yourself immersed in a zoom call of insightful minds is another. The time and avidity that has gone into creating this years selection is truly reflected in its power to engage, with each of the 6 programmes offering an assortment of exceptional short cinema. I whole-heartedly reccomend following your favourites from each programme with its director Q&A, led by this years submission viewers and GSFF team - including me! Woo!
Top programme picks:
Have a Nice Dog!
Maalbeek
Spotted Yellow
Red Aninsri; or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall
KKUM
Unliveable
You can catch each Bill Douglas programme streaming live daily, then each is available on demand for 48 hours.
On top of these programme highlights, there is an abundance of top-quality short films still ready to explore, including this years wonderful Scottish Competition, Barbed Wire Love: Artists, Filmmakers And Their North of Ireland Troubles, No New Normal and Black Spatial Imaginaries. I thoroughly encourage both exploring the rest of this years programme on the website and, really, just buying a festival pass. The team have been working harder than ever to make this years festival as accessible as possible, with an affordable ticket price to suit all and a fully captioned programme the very basis of its draws. Costing less than a crate of Tennents and hitting 100% less disappointingly when consumed in your own home, I’d say spending what’s left of lockdown with a pint and a few short films seems a pretty safe bet - don’t you?
Head over to the Glasgow Short Film Festival website now for more details and catch some great short cinema before it's too late - I'll see you there!
Words by Heather Bradshaw
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