Last year, Glasgow Film Festival was one of the few in the UK largely unaffected by the pandemic, sneaking in weeks before the first lockdown. However, their 2021 edition will be 100% virtual due to the current restrictions in place. Despite the challenges, the lineup is as exciting and eclectic as ever, boasting 62 films in total from around the world and boasting a Country Focus strand on South Korean cinema. The opening picture will be Lee Isaac Chung’s highly anticipated autobiographical drama Minari and the event will close with Suzanne Lindon’s coming-of-age debut feature Spring Blossom. I have handpicked some films that I won’t want to miss…
Limbo
Ben Sharrock’s comedy drama Limbo is the first feature film to ever be made on the remote island of Uist in the Outer Hebrides. It has been making waves on the festival circuit since it screened at Toronto festival last year and Amir El-Masry (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Industry) has the leading role.
The Toll
Influenced by the works of Quentin Tarantino, the Coens, and Sergio Leone, crime comedy The Toll is the first ever ‘West Walian Western’. Starring Michael Smiley (Kill List, Free Fire) and directed by Ryan Andrew Hooper, it looks destined to be a cult crowd-pleaser.
Riders of Justice
Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen has been a festival favourite for a few years now, and is back with another revenge thriller. Featuring the great Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Casino Royale) like you’ve never seen him before, I predict that this dark comedy will be a huge hit for fans of their previous collaborations.
Wildland
Wildland is another Scandi crime drama, and sees teenager Ida face a moral dilemma when she realises the true extent of her family’s business. A debut feature from director Jeanette Nordahl, this looks like it could be the European equivalent of Australian modern masterpiece Animal Kingdom.
Undergods
Unfolding against an undisclosed concrete wasteland, fantasy drama Undergods is a bleak dystopian vision written and directed by Chino Moya. This psychological anthology features an all-star cast including Géza Röhrig, Kate Dickie, Tanya Reynolds, and Ned Dennehy.
Glasgow Film Festival will run from 24th February to 7th March and tickets are available now! Why not peruse the full programme at the official festival website?
Cinema Perspective 