From Witches to Scissorhands: Glasgow Youth Film Festival announce 2016 programme

Glasgow Youth Film Festival, the only film festival in Europe curated by 15-18 year olds, today announced its 2016 programme. The festival, which runs from 12-15 February 2016, kicks off with a surprising big-league opening gala choice in Puritan supernatural chiller and Sundance favourite The Witch, starring Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones), who will introduce the Opening Gala, and will close with a special screening of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, amid a specially-created atmospheric set at supercool converted church St Luke’s. Sandwiched in between is a weekend devoted to contemporary depictions of teenage life from Europe, North America and Japan, in a weekend-long programme that this year has been designed to showcase young, first-time feature filmmakers from all over the world.

80% of those new films are by first-time feature directors, spanning themes with huge relevance to young people – first love, peer pressure, struggles with identity and generational conflict. A number of those directors will be coming to Scotland for the festival for Q&As with the audience afterwards. An impressive 60% of the new films in this year’s programme are UK premieres, which is a huge pull for the young programming team.

The GYFF Youth Programming Team are also delighted to offer Glasgow audiences early chances to catch When Marnie Was There, the eagerly-awaited newest – and last ever –release from Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli, and Cronies, which sees Spike Lee protégé Michael J. Larnell showcase his first feature film to global critical acclaim. As ever, there’s also a chance to catch a teen favourite from days gone by – this year’s GYFF Late Night Classic is Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Put together by a team of teenagers united by a love of cinema, GYFF16 also offers talks and discussion panels offering assistance to young people considering careers in film and television. This year’s programme includes a discussion with casting director Lenny Mullan (Neds, The Magdalene Sisters) and actor Conor McCarron (Neds, Catch Me Daddy), a class in special effects makeup and prosthetics by industry pioneers SFX makeup (Harry Potter, Doctor Who) a documentary film panel, and an all-day short filmmaking workshop, and a programme of Ted Talks to be announced. Tickets on sale on Thursday 10 December.

Young programmer Anthony Carroll, 18: ‘GYFF is a brilliant experience that makes a truly youthful film festival come alive. Each one of us is passionate about film and come from all walks of life and together we collect films from all corners of the world to bring to our festival, They all establish a key theme: the voice of young people matters. That's what the festival is about, and we achieve that from programming the festival as a group of young people. However, it doesn't mean we can’t have fun; the opposite in fact. From dressing up for events to screening excellent films such as Bill & Ted (*guitar riff*), this is when we can say what we love, and embrace it.’

Young programmer Frances Driscoll, 16: ‘This year GYFF has a very eclectic and diverse programme, which reflects not only the GYFF team but also the people we hope will come to see the films. Almost all the films we are showing are debut films made by extremely talented young filmmakers from across the globe; we chose them because we felt they highlighted the importance of youth voice exceptionally well. The films tackle a wide range of issues in a fresh and interesting way – they stimulated some very profound discussions amongst us, and we hope they will inspire and provoke others, too.’

FULL PROGRAMME
Unless otherwise stated, all screenings are at Glasgow Film Theatre

Opening Gala: The Witch
Debut director | Fri 12 Feb, 8.40pm
A Puritan family living in 17th century New England is torn apart when their new-born baby disappears and their daughter is accused of witchcraft. A deeply unsettling and visually compelling horror, The Witch is a terrifying tale of black magic, paranoia and religious hysteria.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with star Kate Dickie.

Late Night Classic: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Fri 12 Feb, 11pm
Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted “Theodore” Logan (together, they are WYLD STALLYNS; you might have heard of them) hop in a time-travelling phone booth to research their school history report. Tune up your air guitars for a raucous night hanging with history: everyone from So-crates to Sigmund Freud.

GMAC Film: Exploring Sound
Sat 13 Feb, 11,45am Free but ticketed. Tickets available from GFT Box Office on the day; max 2 per person.              
George Lucas famously said ‘sound is 50 percent of the movie-going experience’. Join us as GMAC Film’s 16-19 year old BFI Film Academy participants take you on a journey into sound. This will be followed by the premiere of their short film. In partnership with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Kill Me Please
UK premiere, debut director | Sat 13 Feb, 1.30pm
Set at an exclusive high school in Rio de Janeiro, fifteen-year-old Bia and her group of girlfriends gossip about a local serial killer, shop, play volleyball, and dress in designer clothes. As more bodies appear, Bia’s morbid fascination with the crimes and the victims swiftly turns to obsession.

Prince
UK premiere, debut director | Sat 13 Feb, 4pm
Seventeen-year-old Ayoub is a Moroccan-Dutch teenager hanging out with his friends and fantasizing about Laura, a beautiful girl who lives on the estate. Will he be lured by the temptations of crime and violence in order to win her love?

Cronies
Scottish premiere, debut director | Sat 13 Feb, 6pm
The debut feature from Michael J. Larnell, a student of Spike Lee, is a naturalistic take on the complexities of male friendship. Set against the backdrop of a hazy Missouri summer, Cronies spans a period of 24 hours where it seems almost anything can happen.

Der Nachtmahr
Scottish premiere, debut director | Sat 13 Feb, 8.25pm
Seventeen-year-old Tina has been partying hard with her friends. After one too many comedowns she’s in a fragile mental state that manifests itself in a strange creature. Set in Berlin’s rave scene, Der Nachtmahr is a disorientating ride, written and directed by artist/filmmaker Akiz. Supported by the Goethe-Institut Glasgow.

Nena
UK premiere, debut director | Sun 14 Feb, 12.45pm
First-time director Saskia Diesing tells the story of sixteen year old Nena, whose first taste of true love is rocked by her father, a multiple sclerosis sufferer, attempting suicide. A truly unconventional coming-of-age story.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Saskia Diesing.

When Marnie Was There
Scottish premiere | Sun 14 Feb, 3.25pm
A young girl sent to the countryside to recuperate becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and the girl who may live inside. Adapted from Joan G. Robinson's classic children's novel, this eagerly-awaited supernatural drama is the final film made by legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli.

Sleeping Giant
UK premiere, debut director | Sun 14 Feb, 5.25pm
Teenager Adam is spending summer with his family when he meets anarchic cousins Riley and Nate, who lure him into the deep end of adventure and rebellion. An atmospheric and engaging first-time feature by Andrew Cividino.

Closing Gala: Edward Scissorhands
St Luke’s Music & Arts Venue, Bain St, Glasgow | Sun 14 Feb, 8pm
Arguably Tim Burton’s masterpiece, Edward Scissorhands tells the story of a blade-handed boy raised in isolation, plunged into the gossip-riven, candy-coloured world of suburbia. This spectacular closing event turns new venue St Luke’s into an atmospheric screening space straight out of Burton’s wildest dreams…

King Jack
Scottish premiere, debut director | Sun 14 Feb, 5.25pm
Fifteen-year-old delinquent Jack is stuck babysitting his younger cousin when they come head-to-head with the local bully. Packed with punch, King Jack is the tough and tender story of an underdog and his quest for a normal life. 

The Final Girls
UK theatrical premiere | Mon 15 Feb, 8.30pm
Director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s homage to the teen slasher film with Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) and Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries). A group of teenagers find themselves pulled into the silver screen where they must apply their horror movie knowledge to help them survive.  

Workshops
All workshops take place at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. For full details visit www.glasgowfilm.org/gyff
Casting Panel with casting director Lenny Mullan (Neds, The Magdalene Sisters) and actor Conor McCarron (Neds, Catch Me Daddy)
Sat 13 Feb 11.30-13.00

SFX Makeup and Prosthetics Masterclass in partnership with Creative Media Skills
Sun 14 Feb 11.30-13.00
Documentary Panel: ‘Capturing Reality’ –panel to be confirmed
Sat 13 Feb 14.00-15.30

Ted Talks (Full details to be announced)
Sun 14 Feb 15.30-17.00


About Glasgow Youth Film Festival
Members of the young programming team are available for interview, and high-res images from all of the films, as well as pictures of the programming team, are available on request. A trailer commissioned from Tramway’s Young Artists will go live online before the end of the year.

Glasgow Youth Film Festival is part of Glasgow Film Festival. The 2016 Festival will run over the weekend of 12-15 February, and will offer an exciting programme of screenings and events for young people. GYFF gives young Glaswegians affordable access to the latest cinema releases plus exciting opportunities to learn from film and television industry professionals. The public programme is devised entirely by local teenagers who work together over a period of six months to select the line-up of films, guests and events for their Festival. In 2015, the youth programme split from the child-friendly part of the programme which was absorbed into Glasgow Film Festival’s new Modern Families strand. A five-day long programme of schools screenings proceeds the festival weekend.

GYFF is the only film festival in Europe where young people are involved at all stages of festival production, from selecting the film programme to publicity and event management. GYFF tickets are on sale from Thursday 10 December, at Glasgow Film Festival Online.

Standard GYFF ticket price is £8.50/ £7.00 concession and £5 for under 14s (with proof of age). Special events may have different prices. GFT’s free Youth Card scheme offers standard tickets and masterclasses at the reduced price of £4.50.

The 2016 Glasgow Youth Film Festival would not be possible without the support of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Creative Media Skills, The City of Science, The Goethe Institute and Sustainable Glasgow.