Back to the Film Festivals
Although retrospect abounds in December, it seems as though we're still not done with re-analysis just yet. Copious re-issues from cult 1970s outfit T Rex arrived in the office this week, serving as a stark reminder of Mark Bolan's genius. Meanwhile, in London movie lovers are preparing to celebrate one of the country's most culturally productive boroughs, along with the world's longest-running film studios, with the focal point being heritage.
After a successful event last year, from 14-16th February 2014 The Ealing Music and Film Valentine Festival returns for another bout of acknowledgements. And, whilst there's far more involved than simple matters of the screen- not least an entire programme honouring Margot Fonteyn, 'the most famous dancer England has ever produced', who was raised in this part of the capital- the cinematic offerings are second to none.
Attendees will be treated to a screening of The Red Shoes, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Oscar-winning triumph that currently ranks in the BFI's ten greatest films of all time. Tony Palmer's Margot, first unveiled in 2005 to tell the story of Fonteyn, will also feature, as will one of International eXcellence's favourite British box office cuts ever, The Man In The White Suite, wherein Alec 'Ladykiller' Guinness invents a fabric that's immune to wear and stains, only to come up against industry and investors, who all fear the economic repercussions of this new material.
Much further up north, and next month also sees the Glasgow Youth Film Festival begin, Europe's only film event curated by 15-17-year-olds. Scotland's second city will be awash with rising and aspiring creatives, not to mention esteemed guests, between 2nd and 12th February 2014. Screenings include Teenage, a documentary by Matt Wolf about the 'historic creation of the teenager' throughout the 20th Century, along with festival opener We Are The Best!, the latest work from acclaimed Swedish director Lukas Moodysson, a coming of age black comedy centred on adolescent punks and their parents.
That will then be followed by the Glasgow Film Festival proper, beginning 20th February and finally closing on 2nd March. In between, anyone in the area can expect more titles on show than would be feasibly possible to view, with GFF now Britain's third largest movie jamboree. In total 68 productions will be screened, chosen from 39,000 admissions, affording no less than 368 events during the ten-day spectacle. Tinsel Town heavyweights Joss Whedon, John C Reilly, Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan will also be in attendance, with programme strands including 1939 Hollywood, Best of British, Chilean cinema, European contemporary features, the rise of video games and documentary filmmaking.
Once all that commotion has died down, International eXcellence will then be heading back down to England for a few nights in Manchester, and suggest you do the same. Now completing its second decade in business, the Cornerhouse's Viva Spanish and Latin American Film Festival is easily amongst the UK's most respected specialist, foreign language screen fiestas. Kick starting on 7th March, with the last movies shown on 23rd March, The Delinquents (or Los Golfos) is definitely one to watch, the debut from the revered Carlos Suara concerning teenagers in the Madrid slums, originally unveiled before a shocked public in 1960, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes the same year, but very rarely shown in the 21st Century.
Another Suara piece will also be shown, co-directed by Alex de la Iglesia, Jaume Balagueró and Nacho Vigalondo. 24 cines por segundo: Sábanas blancas (24 Cinemas per Second) is for the buffs, with its subject matter being the Spanish film industry in itself. Elsewhere, and Diego Galan celebrates the narrative production process by using clips from Spanish cinema history to create his documentary, Con la pata quebrada (Barefoot and in the Kitchen). Not just a series of well-edited frames, mind, the idea is to give an overview of how depictions of women have altered over the decades. Oh, and El Limpiador (The Cleaner) this year's Peruvian Oscar submission, should also be investigated, setting the scene in a ghostly quiet Lima following an outbreak of a deadly plague. Simply put then, we're rather excited.
http://www.ealingmusicandfilmfestival.org/
http://www.glasgowfilm.org/festival
http://www.glasgowfilm.org/festival/information/festivals_within_the_fes...
http://www.cornerhouse.org/film/film-events/
