The Glasgow Film Festival has announced the first events of its 2015 programme, and it's an eclectic line-up. In addition to already-announced strands celebrating nerdiness, Australian cinema and the films of Ingrid Bergman, the six events below highlight the festival's desire to infiltrate new venues across the city, with the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art, the O2 ABC, the Old Fruitmarket and the Pollokshaws Burgh Hall all recruited to host special events. Here's a taster of what's in store.
'Strictly Ballroom' at the Kelvingrove Museum
Following last year's successful Kelvingrove screening of Mel Brooks' 'Young Frankenstein', the large gothic gallery is being utilised once again to screen Baz Luhrmann's 1992 debut about a maverick professional dancer, as part of the festival's 'Strewth!' Australian cinema strand. Given the grandness of the venue and the theatricality of the film (not to mention the popularity of that other 'Strictly' on telly), the screening will be a glamorous and heavily sequinned affair, with a performance from dance champions Tibor Poc and Hilary Mouat ahead of the film.
Buster Keaton Night / 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed' at the Old Fruitmarket
The Merchant City's Old Fruitmarket venue plays host to two silent film events during the fest. The first is an appreciation of comedy legend Buster Keaton, led by silent film enthusiasts Paul Merton (yep, that one) and Neil Brand. The second is a screening of Lotte Reiniger's 'Arabian Nights'-inspired 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed', an animated silhouette adventure accompanied by a live Mediterranean jazz score from Renaud Garcia-Fons.
A Night at the Regal: Lost Map, Joe McAlinden and British Sea Power at the O2 ABC
Paying homage to the O2 ABC's former status as a picture house, this movies 'n' music mash-up will feature performances from Lost Map signees eagleowl and Monoganon, exploring the relationship between sound and image; Superstar's Joe McAlinden, who'll be live-scoring a screening of 'EDIT', a new short film by artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard ('20,000 Days on Earth'); and a screening of Penny Woolcock's stirring coastal documentary 'From the Sea to the Land Beyond', with a live soundtrack by British Sea Power.
'The Fall of the House of Usher' at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall
The fest extends into the Southside with this screening of Jean Epstein's 1928 silent horror, which will be accompanied by a new score from Irene Buckley on the Hall's original Wurlitzer organ. If you're struggling to place Buckley's name, she also supplied the soundtrack to last year's atmospheric screening of 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' in Glasgow Cathedral.
Internet Cat Video Festival at the Gallery of Modern Art
Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like. Following a successful inception in the States, this free festival of feline film makes its UK debut at the GFF, offering audiences a range of online-sourced cat videos from 1901 to the present day. If 'Tom & Jerry', 'Charlie Says', Bagpuss, Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub and Keyboard Cat aren't all featured, we'll eat our crocheted kitten-themed hats. And then cough up furballs, most likely.
And since we brought it up, you may as well waste the next 21 minutes watching this:
The rest of the GFF programme will be launched on Wed Jan 21.
Glasgow Film Festival, various venues, Wed Feb 18-Sun Mar 1.