Kelly Macdonald, Emily Watson, Monica Dolan, Alistair McGowan, James Cosmo and more will walk the red carpet at the city’s annual celebration of film running 1 – 12 March.
Directors attending the festival include Mark Cousins, Carol Morley, Matt Johnson and Daniel Goldhaber.
GFF23 will open with the UK-premiere of Glasgow-shot drama Girl, attended by director Adura Onashile and young star Le’Shantey Bonsu.
A host of star names will grace the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) red carpet as the festival returns for its 19th edition from 1 – 12 March.
Famous faces include:
- Trainspotting and Line of Duty star Kelly Macdonald, joining BAFTA-winner Monica Dolan and director Carol Morley for a special International Women’s Day Gala premiere of Typist Artist Pirate King (8 March)
- Two-time Oscar-nominee Emily Watson at the UK premiere of new drama God’s Creatures (2 March)
- Game of Thrones and Braveheart actor James Cosmo at the UK premiere of his new romance My Sailor, My Love (3 March)
- Star impressionist Alistair McGowan at the UK premiere of Mark Cousins new documentary My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, featuring a pitch-perfect Hitchcock voiceover from McGowan (4 March)
- Joe Thomas, The Inbetweeners and Fresh Meat star and alumni of the Isle of Skye-based Young Film Foundation will help launch the fourth edition of the unique talent scheme that aims to identify and support a new generation of screenwriting talent (9 March, part of GFF Industry Focus)
GFF23 will also welcome acclaimed and up-and-coming behind-the-camera talent including:
- Glasgow writer-director Adura Onashile at the UK premiere of her feature debut, the Glasgow-filmed Girl (1 March). This is the first time a Scottish film has opened GFF and the festival is thrilled to welcome Adura to the red carpet alongside young star Le’Shantey Bonsu and local talent featured in the film.
- Canadian actor and director Matt Johnson attending the UK premiere of his hotly-anticipated tale of the rise and fall of a tech giant, Blackberry (3 March)
- Fife director Andrew Cumming at the Scottish premiere of his highly anticipated Highlands-shot Stone Age horror The Origin (5 March)
- US director Daniel Goldhaber at the UK premiere of his politically-charged new eco-thriller How To Blow Up a Pipeline (2 March)
- US director Muta’Ali Muhammad and Scottish broadcaster and writer Stuart Cosgrove at the World premiere of their new documentary Cassius X: Becoming Ali (8 March)
- Director Chloé Raunet and protagonist Andrew John ‘W.I.Z’ Whiston at the World premiere of I Am Weekender, exploring the enigma that was the controversial and banned Acid House film Weekender (11 March)
- The creators and cast at the UK premiere of one of the most viral movies of 2023, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (10 March)
Allison Gardner, Glasgow Film Festival Co-director, said:
GFF are thrilled to welcome a range of homegrown and international talent to this year’s festival. From familiar faces like Kelly Macdonald and Emily Watson to debut Scottish directors Adura Onashile and Andrew Cumming, alongside filmmakers from the US, Canada, France, Germany and more. Everyone at GFF was saddened to hear about the passing of I Am Weekender star Lee Whitlock this month and send our condolences to his friends and family.
The 19th annual Glasgow Film Festival will run from 1–12 March at Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and other venues across the city.