Glasgow Youth Film Festival Announces 2023 Programme

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Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF) has announced the full programme for its 15th edition. Running from Friday 22 until Sunday 24 September, this year’s festival boasts a varied programme of films, from exciting new releases to iconic classics and feature-length documentaries. All screenings and events take place at Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT).

The festival is co-programmed by Glasgow Film and a group of 18 GYFF Young Programmers aged 15-19. The festival will open with Clement Virgo’s powerful sibling drama Brother. Aaron Pierre is unforgettable in this Canadian epic about two Black siblings fighting to keep hope alive in the suburbs of Toronto. Brutally honest, well crafted and superbly acted, Brother masterfully explores Black life, masculinity and adulthood. Ticket holders are advised to keep an eye on GYFF’s website and socials where special guests for this screening will be revealed closer to the time.

The festival will close on Sunday with The Matrix. Audience members are encouraged to dress up for an immersive screening of this 1999 sci-fi classic. Festival-goers will also have the chance to watch the coming-of-age activist drama Alam, followed by a recorded Q&A with director Firas Khoury. John Carpenter’s action horror They Live will screen as Friday night’s Cult Classic film; while Bugsy Malone features as Glasgow Film’s family-friendly Take 2 screening, with free tickets available; and Billy Elliot screens as GYFF’s Sunday afternoon classic.

This year the programme also features two documentaries. We Will Not Fade Away follows five teens living in the conflict-ridden Donbas region of Ukraine as they set out on a Himalayan expedition. This screening will also feature a recorded Q&A from a member of the production team. Directed by and starring Scottish animators Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson, A Cat Called Dom explores grief and fear through the prism of creative inertia. GYFF is delighted to welcome Will Anderson, who will take part in a special Q&A after this special Pay What You Can screening.

For the first time, the festival has incorporated short films into the programme and will be championing emerging Scottish talent by screening two films by finalists of the Young Scottish Filmmaker's Prize 2023, including Aqsa Arif’s Spicy Pink Tea.

GYFF will also host four Behind the Scenes workshops, including Action Xtreme’s beginner guide to working in action films. Independent producer and former director of BFI Future Film Festival Noel Goodwin will be co-hosting a panel featuring producer, writer and director Chee Keong Cheung (Redcon-1, The Experiment) and action performer Yolanda Lynes (Black Widow, The Witcher).

Documentary in an Hour will see documentary maker Duncan Cowles make a mini documentary in an hour, on the cinema screen, with help from the GYFF audience. Screenwriter and director Niamh McKeown will be interviewed by the GYFF Young Programmers about her career in Director or Screenwriter: Why Choose?; and a panel of film industry professionals ranging from actors to directors and programmers will discuss their experiences as LGBTQIA+ individuals working in film in LGBTQIA+ Stories in Film: A Panel Discussion. Panellists include director Jo Reid and actor and writer Adam Kashmiry.

Tickets for each of the films are £6, while the workshops are free to attend but places should be booked in advance due to demand.

Rosa Cato, Glasgow Film’s Learning and Youth Engagement Manager, said: ‘We're so excited to be unveiling the programme for our 15th edition of Glasgow Youth Film Festival! The young programmers have worked really hard on curating a series of screenings and events that reflect their aims to champion diverse and original storytelling. The programme features international films that reflect the realities of growing up in areas of ongoing conflict, as well as Scottish-made films exploring themes as diverse as grief, medical misogyny and South Asian Scottish heritage. On top of this, there are some real treats in store for fans of mind-bending action with special event screenings of The Matrix and They Live. Not only this, but we'll be delivering free film workshops for young people keen to develop careers in film. We can't wait!’

Olivia R, a GYFF Young Programmer, said: ‘Being a young programmer for this year’s GYFF has been amazing. I first got involved because I thought it was a really special experience for a youth film festival to be programmed by young people. I’ve loved working with fellow young film lovers to choose the films and events. Out of all the films programmed I’m really excited for people to see A Cat Called Dom, which is a really unique documentary from a Scottish filmmaker that is a mix of funny and moving.’

Sprite, a GYFF Young Programmer, said: ‘The entirety of GYFF has been really fun and an amazing experience to be a part of. I joined because of my love of film, and have made so many new friends and have had so much fun during programming. I am very excited to see the different aspects of the festival come together.’

Aqsa Arif, director of Spicy Pink Tea, said: ‘I am extremely delighted for the young programmers to have selected my first short film, Spicy Pink Tea as part of their amazing programme this year! It truly means so much that the film has had an impact on young people today and I am looking forward to the screening in GFT.'

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