Seasons Greetings

Thanks to everyone who came along to the screening on Sunday and a Happy Muppets Christmas to all Southsiders!

We had a lovely turn out and even some Southside Muppet action in the shape of fozzie bear.

Back with more film in Feb 2012, watch this space!

Get your Muppet tickets now!!!

Less than 10 days to go till the great Muppet film screening!!

The Muppets Christmas Carol (U)
Sunday 18 December
5.30pm (doors 4.45)
The Shed

Ticket Prices:
For kids (under 16s): £3
For grown up kids (over 16s): £5
Tickets will be available in advance from Youngs' Interesting Books, Skirving St, Shawlands or online at Tickets Scotland.

New website

We have given our website a bit of a facelift which is now live and we'll be adding information about the plans for the 2012 festival to it in the future.

I'd like to point out that the website is best viewed in Google Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer 8. Some elements will not display correctly in IE 9 but this can be corrected by using the compatibility view.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Southside Film Festival is providing a festive screening this Christmas at the Shed. We will be showing The Muppet Christmas Carol, a wonderful Christmas treat for young and old.  The film has the Muppet characters tell Dicken's classic tale with Michael Caine as Scrooge.

The Muppets Christmas Carol (U)
Sunday 18 December
5.30pm (doors 4.45)
The Shed

Ticket Prices:
For kids (under 16s): £3
For grown up kids (over 16s): £5
Tickets will be available in advance from Youngs' Interesting Books, Skirving St, Shawlands or online at Tickets Scotland.

More zombie goodness

Some more pictures of the Zombie walk through Shawlands on the Halloween weekend prior to the screening of Night of the Living Dead.

Zombies on the Southside

[image from here]

There's a great write up of last week's second Halloween screening of the Zombie classic Night of the Living Dead by Collette here.

We had a great turn out of zombies including a topical Gaddafi Zombie shown here and they shuffled their way through Shawlands before the screening at 8 pm at The Shed.

Meal & Movie deal for Night of the Living Dead

Feast on a pizza at Bellinis before all the zombie action this Sunday at The Shed.

Bellini are offering a pre-film Meal & Movie deal for the screening of Night of the Living Dead at The Shed.

The Night of the Living Dead will be showing at The Shed on Sunday 30th October.  The film will start at 8pm, doors at 7pm and tickets are £6 on the door (£5 if bought before hand).

You can get a main course & glass of wine or beer and film ticket all for £13.  Tickets for this are available now from Bellinis.  Details on their facebook page.

Southside happenings

Thanks to Southside Happenings for the shout-out about our Halloween screenings alongside all the other great things happening southside this month.

The first screening is The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is on tomorrow at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall. The film will start at 8pm, doors at 7pm. Tickets are £5 (£6 on the door) and are available in advance, on the night and also online from Tickets Scotland.

The second film will be Night of the Living Dead at The Shed on Sunday 30th October.  Again the film will start at 8pm, doors at 7pm. Tickets are £5 (£6 on the door) and are available in advance, on the night and also online from Tickets Scotland.

Halloween posters

The posters for our two October Halloween screenings can be downloaded below.

• The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
• Night of the Living Dead

Remember tickets are available from Ticket Scotland or on the door.

2012 Southside Film Festival Award - Call for Submissions

• Are you a filmmaker based in the Southside? 
• Have you made a film about the Southside? 
• Have you shot a film in the Southside? 

If so, Southside Film Festival wants to see your films! The 2012 Festival Dates are 18-20 May 2012

The inaugural Southside Film Festival Award May 2011 was won by filmmakers Antonia Bain and Gordon Ballantyne with their short documentary 'Echoes of Cinema City' about the cinema organ in Pollokshaws Burgh Hall. Prizes were kindly donated by BAFTA Scotland, Screen Academy Scotland, GFT, GMAC and local businesses.

At the 2012 festival on 18-20 May 2012, there will be two awards-one for Best Southside Short Film and one for Best Southside Feature film so don't miss out!

• Early deadline Mon 19 December 2011- FREE 
• Final deadline Mon 16 January 2012 - £5 per film 

Please submit screeners on DVD to: Southside Film Festival, 0/2, 18 Clincart Rd, Glasgow, G42 9DJ Submissions excepted on DVD only.  Please tell us the title, length, genre, of the film when submitting and don't forget to include your full contact details.

Any questions please email: southsidefilmfest@gmail.com

Night of the Living Dead

The second Halloween screening is the zombie classic the Night of the Living Dead.

It will screen at The Shed on Sunday 30 October.

The film will start at 8pm, doors at 7pm. Tickets are £5 (£6 on the door) and will be available on the night, at select events beforehand and online from Ticket Scotland.

Advance film tickets will be available from Young's Interesting Books, Skirving St, Shawlands and at the following events in The Shed: Vintage Fair, 25 Sept & Bar Boot, 1st October. Tickets also available in advance at iBop, Pollok Ex-Servicemens Club, Fri 4 October.

We would love people to dress up and the film will be preceded by a Zombie walk through Shawlands -zombies meet at 6pm at The Shed for the Southside's first zombie walk! There'll also be a prize for best dressed zombie!

Cult Horror Classic: Night of the Living Dead (15), 1968, B&W, 96 mins
The Shed
Sunday 30 October, 8pm, doors 7pm 

Night of the Living Dead
The first film directed by George A. Romero, Night Of The Living Dead gave birth to the zombie walk used in every zombie film since (the walk was apparently based on silent film star Boris Karloff). Despite being in Black & White and a low budget indie film, Night Of The Living Dead, was a box office hit when released and has since become a cult classic.


Synopsis: Night of the Living Dead follows Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea), and five others, who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania and attempt to survive the night while the house is being attacked by mysteriously reanimated ghouls, otherwise known as zombies.

If it doesn't scare you, you're already dead!

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

The first of our Halloween screenings is going to be the The Cabinet of Dr Caligari/Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari with live Wurlitzer cinema organ accompaniment.

It will screen on Sunday 16 October at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall.

The film will start at 8pm, doors at 7pm.  Tickets are £5 (£6 on the door) and are available in advance, on the night and also online from Tickets Scotland (search by date or for Southside Film, with £1 booking fee).

Advance film tickets are available from Young's Interesting Books, Skirving St, Shawlands and at iBop on Fri 4 October at Pollok ExServicemens Club, Titwood Rd, Crossmyloof.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari/Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari with live Wurltizer cinema organ (U) 1919, B&W, 71 mins
Pollokshaws Burgh Hall
Sunday 16 October, 8pm

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari 
Considered by many to be the best horror film of the silent era, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari/ Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari is a classic example of German expressionism and is still impressive today. The film was shocking and original when released, partly due to its twist ending, but also because of its warped and confused world and its twisted and crooked sets.

Synopsis: At a fair, Alan and his fiancée Jane meet Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist, Cesare, who can predict the future. Cesare reveals to Alan that he only has until dawn to live. This prediction proves true when Alan is murdered. Cesare becomes the prime suspect and then abducts Jane before dying himself. Dr. Caligari retreats to a mental asylum, where his truth is revealed.

Don't miss this screening in the beautiful surroundings of Pollokshaws Burgh Hall! with Wurtlizer organ accompaniment by organist David Gray, Royal Academy of Music student & Young Organist of the Year. Licensed bar and ice cream available.

Autumnal Happenings

Apologies for the radio silence.  The committee have had two meetings (one tonight) since polls closed and we can now confirm that the Southside Film Festival will be putting on screenings in October and December before we're back in May 2012 with a full festival programme again.

October's screenings are going to be two Halloween films at two different venues - details to come and we're planning a festive Christmas screening in December.

I'll be posting details of the October screenings later on this week with information about how to buy tickets as well.

Polls are now closed

Thanks to everyone who voted for what you'd like to see in a potential monthly film slot.  The results were as follows:

[click to enlarge]

The top three choices were World Cinema, Scottish and Feature Films.

There is a meeting of the organising committee this week so we'll take on board all the suggestions and update you when we have decided on the type of programme the festival can provide over the autumn/winter months.

Monthly film night for the Southside

The Southside Film Festival is planning monthly film screenings in the Southside starting in the Autumn.

This is in the planning stages just now and we'd love your input and thoughts about what kind of programme we should put together.

What did you enjoy seeing most at the festival? Do you want an opportunity to see more local films, or would you like to see feature films on your doorstep? Let us know what genres or themes you'd like to see featured in the programme.

How to share your thoughts?
There is a poll on the right hand side of the blog which is going to run until the end of the month. Or you can leave a comment by clicking on the comments link underneath this post and give us your opinion.

Southside Festival happening this weekend

The weekend sees the Southside Festival return for its fourth year, they were a great support for the film festival so find out all about it here on their website.

Download the programme here.

Also Glasgow South Ship modellers, who provided such a fantastic venue for the screening of Seawards the Great Ships, will be putting on model boat display and opening the clubhouse up to visitors who can have a look at old photographs and news paper cuttings of the club over the last 100 years or so. (thanks to Southside Happenings for this info)

Post-festival publicity

In the week since the festival finished, there's been lots of articles and blog posts about it.

• Govanhill Baths - Filmshow went swimmingly 
• Ronnie Mackintosh's day at the festival
• The Glaswegian
• Diversity Film - Jims Dookit up for best southside film award
• Roisin Brady Interviews Scriptwriter Sergio Casci

Winner of the Southside Film Award

The Southside Filmmakers Screening was held yesterday afternoon and we are pleased to announce that the winner of the inaugural Best Southside Film Award is Echoes of Cinema City. Congratulations to Antonia Bain & Gordon Ballantyne who made the film.

Thanks again to Bafta Scotland, Screen Academy Scotland, GMAC, GFT, The Shed, Sergio Casci and Francis Lopez for donating the prizes.

You can find out more about the other films screened here.

{still from echoes of cinema city}

Echoes of Cinema City | Documentary | 8' | Directed by Gordon Ballantyne & Antonia Bain | Made with the help and support of Joss Walsh, Angela Davison and 55 Degrees

At its peak, Glasgow had over 23 fully working cinema organs. Now there is only one. For an entire generation the sound of the cinema was that of the cinema organ and if it wasn’t for the team of volunteers at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall that sound would be lost forever. To understand their passion and their work is to see Glasgow's cinema heritage. Ian McNaught gives us a tour of the organ’s home and how it has been incorporated into the entire building filling it with pipes, machinery and wonderful sounds.

View a trailer for the film here.

Gordon Ballantyne is an Artist and Director living in the south side of Glasgow in Govanhill. Since graduating from art school he has produced short films, documentaries and paintings. Recently he has been collaborating with the creative urban think-tank - Pidgin Perfect on a film which will formulate part of an exhibition entitled Territory and Place. This is proposed to be showcased in the Briggait Art centre in Summer 2011.

Antonia Bain is a Director and Writer based in the south side of Glasgow in Govanhill. Originally from Edinburgh she moved to Glasgow to work for the Media company 55 Degrees, where she currently works as a Content Director. She has worked on many cultural and educational projects, most notably directing several videos for the new transport museum in Glasgow. She is currently working on a new short film entitled Light Up which will be completed in early 2012.

Halfway through....

Its Saturday night and we're over halfway through the inaugural Southside Film Festival!

Friday was a brilliant start to the festival with over 100 people coming to the Shed for the composing music for film seminar, American Cousins and Forest of Black music videos. And more at the at the screening of Artists Films with lots of folk ending the night at iBop.

{a very dark Loft room screening of Forest of Black music videos}

Today has been busy with lots of events happening in different places all over the Southside.  I was helping out at the screenings at the Pearce Institute of Red Skirts on Clydeside and You Play Your Part where there was an impromptu discussion afterwards by some of the participants of the You Play Your Part film.

{post-screening discussions at Pearce Institute}

Tomorrow there are 6 events on offer starting with a selection of films from Starting Block (14:00 @ The Shed - Main Hall, £5), moving onto the screening of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (15:00 @ The Shed - The Loft, £5) have you seen the amazing posters the Society has printed for this screening dotted about the Southside?

There is a change of venue from the hidden gardens to the boat shed for Summer Stories: Short Films (16:00 @ Boat Shed, Queens Park, donations).  Then to the Shed for the first Southside Filmmakers Screening & Award (16:00 @ The Shed - Main Hall, £5), find out more about the selection of films here which include documentaries, music videos, drama, black comedy and the first Urdu/Hindi sitcom!!

Then its over to Pollokshaws Burgh Hall for the two final events, a screening of short films Close & Fridge with intro and Q&A from Gary Lewis (18:30 @ Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, £5) and then the closing film of the festival Nosferatu with live Wurlitzer Organ accompaniment (20:00 @ Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, £5).

Boat Shed looking good

Over at the Glasgow South Ship Modeller's Society blog you can find out about their preparations in upgrading their clubhouse to include a projector for film events - these improvements have tied in nicely with the timing of the festival allowing the screenings of archive footage of shipyards and the Southside to be held there.

{image of interior of boat shed from here}

Southside Happenings and a Creative Thursday

Karen appears in a very timely interview as part of the wonderful Southside Happenings' Creative Thursday series.

{click to enlarge}

Southside Happenings is the number one resource for any Southsiders wanting to know what's happening and it showcases the best the Southside has to have, in their own words the blog is about:

documenting our adventures, things to do, places to see, and other information on the Southside of Glasgow. I am not sure how you would categorise this site, it’s not a ‘what’s on guide’ …it’s just some interesting stories about what we’re doing, or planning to do, in the Southside of Glasgow. [Now and again we might stray across the river, don’t hold it against us].  Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading this, it may give you an idea of what to do on your next day off, night out, or maybe just something to read during your tea break.

They have been a great supporter of the festival and one of the main ways lots of us volunteers found out about the festival in the first place from their tweets and facebook posts.  So a massive thank you to them!!

Creative Scotland mention

The Southside Film Festival now appears on the interactive festivals map from Creative Scotland

{click to enlarge}

Gigs @ The Glasshouse

As part of the Southside Festival happening later on in May a series of gigs will be held at the Glasshouse in Queens Park over the last two weekends in May.

Friday 20th May: 8pm - 11.30pm (singer/songwriters/folk)

ELEANOR McEVOY + LORNA BROOKS + NEIL STURGEON
Tickets £10.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland, 0141 204 5151

Saturday 21st May: 8pm - 12.00 (post rock / post pop ) flyer

THE LOUCHE F.C. + HONEYTONE CODY + THE LOTUS PROJECT + GLASS OF DARKNESS
Tickets £7.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland, 0141 204 5151

Sunday 22nd May: 8pm - 11.30pm (celtic trad. for the 21st century)

SKETCH + THE PUBLIC HOUSE ORCHESTRA
Tickets £10.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland , 0141 204 5151

Friday 27th May: 8pm - 12.00 (folk /country/ rock/ comedy)

THE 3 WISE MEN - (MARTIN STEPHENSON, ROBERTO CASSANI, BRUCE MORTON)
Plus Guests - THE PARSONAGE CHOIR
Tickets £10.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland, 0141 204 5151

Saturday 28th May: Acoustic Afternoon 12 - 4pm (folk/singer/songwriters)

THE CLACHIES - THE DIRTY BEGGARS - JAMES MURRAY - THE DIRT - OUTI SMITH
Admission FREE

Saturday 28th May: 8pm - TBC

LA ROCHE RUMBA, SOUTHSIDE CLUB NIGHT WITH LIVE BANDS AND DJs
Tickets £9.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland, 0141 204 5151

Sunday 29th May: 12 - 4pm (rock)

Rock'n'Roll , Rockabilly in the afternoon with -
THE SHIVERIN SHEIKS and THE MEATMEN
Admission FREE

Sunday 29th May: 8pm - 12.00 (rock / pop )

THE BLUEBELLS  + The French Wives
Tickets £12.00 on door or from Ticket Scotland, 0141 204 5151

Programmes

After the volunteering meeting on Thursday we all went away with batches of the freshly printed programmes and they have been distributed around the Southside and further afield this weekend.

You can't fail to spot them with their bright yellow covers and you'll find them across the Southside including the following places in particular:

• Assorted cafes and shops in Mount Florida
• Battlefield Rest
• Beanscene, Battlefield
• Beanscene, Shawlands
• Bella Napoli, Shawlands
• Bellinis Shawlands
• Biscuit, Shawlands
• Boswell Hotel, Langside
• Brooklyn Cafe, Shawlands
• Candylicious, Pollokshaws Road
• Church on the Hill
• Deli 1901, Skirving Street
• Eat Deli, Clarkston
• Film City, Govan
• Glasgow University
• Global Video, Shawlands
• Govanhill Baths Community Trust office and charity shop
• Govanhill Library
• Granary Bar, Shawlands
• Gusto & Relish, Pollokshaws Road
• Ivory Hotel, Queen's Park
• Ketchup, Shawlands
• Langside Library
• Larkfield Centre
• Mulberry Street, Pollokshaws Road
• Pollok Ex Servicemens' Club
• Queens Park Farmers Market
• Saffron Lounge Shawlands
• Slow Cafe, Victoria Road
• Southside Studios, Westmoreland Street
• Stalks & Stems, Shawlands
• Stube Bar, Shawlands
• Tapas, Pollokshaws Road
• The Chalet, Dixon Avenue
• The Clockwork Brewery, Battlefield
• Tinto, Battlefield
• Youngs Bookshop, Skirving Street

Website

After lots of clicking and checking and going square-eyed over html code the website* is live!

The website has the finalised programme information on it and the printed programme to download. Now that we have the website, that is where all the official information about the festival - its films, events, venues and tickets can be found.

What does this mean for the blog? We'll still be posting news and updates about the festival but will also post more about the behind the scenes work in the countdown to the festival (less than 10 days to go!) and hopefully blogging live over the weekend.

*NB - the website looks best in firefox or chrome where you can see the snazzy photo slider we have on the home page which unfortunately I can't get to work in Internet Explorer which has a lot to do with the fact that I'm an archivist not a web designer...

Festival Programme

The official printed programme is now available here to download.

Close and Fridge with Peter Mullan

Sunday 15 May, 18:30pm (£5)
Close & Fridge & intro/talk by Gary Lewis
Pollokshaws Borough Hall

Actor Gary Lewis will introduce and talk about these two films make in Govanhill in the 1990s, written and directed by Peter Mullan.

Close – Short/Thriller (1993)

New father Vincent (Peter Mullan) lives up a close in Glasgow. After one neighbour makes a disparaging remark about his daughter Vincent sets out to get his revenge on the neighbour, and the rest of the tenants…

Fridge – Short (1995)
Rudy (Gary Lewis) and Alice (Vicki Masson) are two homeless alcoholics living in a Scottish scheme. Rudy comes to the rescue of a drunk being threatened by some thugs. After one of the boys gets locked in an abandoned fridge it is up to Rudy and Alice to keep the boy alive until help comes…

Write Camera Action Workshop

Write Camera Action Workshop
Saturday 14 May, 18:00 - 21:00 (donations only)
The Shed (The Loft)

Write! Camera! Action! run motivational workshops in support of independent filmmaking and anyone with a passion for film. Through the workshop writers can see how their script plays out in the hands of Directors and Actors and receive constructive feedback.

If you are interested in attending this workshop, please email us (southsidefilmfest@gmail.com) to register your interest and also whether you are interested in the acting, writing and/or filmmaking aspects of the workshop.

Scottish Animation Network

Scottish Animation Network
Saturday 14 May, 11.30-13:00 (donations only)
Langside Library

There will be a screening of animation films at Langside Library from The Scottish Animation Network.  Scotland’s growing animation sector came together and in 2001 organised the successful Projector Festival which showcased animated films and brought together animators, producers, students and educators in order to share their experiences.

With the support of PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) the UK’s trade association representing and promoting the commercial interests of independent feature film, television, digital, children's and animation media companies The Scottish Animation Network continues to grow and support award winning animators.

Southside Artists Outdoor Screening

Southside Artists Outdoor Screening
Saturday 14 May, 22:00 (donations only)
Southside Studios

A special outdoor screening of Artists Films, curated by the Southside Studios
JR Ewen and Olivia Gurtler founded new arts company Hang It Up Ltd which runs Digital Media workshops for school children.

The company also produces films, DVD authoring, contemporary painting, exhibition installation, and print design. The Southside Studios is managed by Hang It Up and provides studios as well as support for Glasgow based Artists.

Starting Block

Starting Block, Diversity films
Sunday 15 May, 14:00 (£5)
The Shed (Main Hall)

Starting Block is a training and mentoring programme for first time filmmakers run by Diversity Films a 'community interest company working to nurture, train and develop a new generation of creative filmmakers'. The Southside Film Festival will be screening a selection of their films in the main hall at The Shed, including:

• For The Love of Lugosi | Andy Gregor | Drama Documentary | 15 min
• I, Alive | Thomas Simpson | Drama Short | 8 min
• James Dean | Lucy Elliott | Drama Short | 7 min
• The King and Queen of Württemberg | Samantha Fernando | Documentary | 25 min
• My Father’s Son | Claire McGuire and Ian McLaughlin | Drama Documentary | 14 min
• Running Wild | Pete Rennie | Documentary | 16 min

Find out more about all the films in this document.

Save Our Pool

Save Our Pool
Saturday 14 May, 21:00 for 21:30 start (donations only)
Govanhill Baths

A special screening of 'Save Our Pool' in Govanhill Baths will be held as part of the Southside Film Festival to mark the 10th anniversary of the Govanhill Baths sit in and forced closure and to act as a fundraiser for the Govanhill Baths Trust.

{govanhill baths}

The Govanhill Baths Community Trust's goal is to reopen the baths as a Wellbeing Centre while contributing to wider social, cultural and built regeneration in Govanhill through a range of activities.  The campaign began on the day the baths were closed, March 17th 2001.  After ten years of struggle, Govanhill Baths Community Trust will finally move into the building later this year.

The Trust will soon be beginning the Phase 1 redevelopment of the front section, creating offices, meeting and workshop areas and returning the historic building to community use. Staged restoration of the pools will follow.

United We Will Swim!

Film Headz

Film Headz Teenage Filmmakers Screening
Saturday 14 May, 15:00-17:00 (£5)
The Shed (Main Hall)

Film Headz @ The Shed is a club for 12-16 year olds who love film, you can watch a film, which are all chosen by the members and then take part in workshops and a Q and A session.

South x Southside - iBop

South x Southside: iBop
Friday 13 May, 22:00-01:00 (£5)
Pollok Ex Servicemens Club

Pollok Ex Servicemens Club is home to iBop a monthly pre-club night for the southside. As part of the film festival and scheduled to run after the Forest of Black screening (free to those with tickets for that screening) you can“dance, drink and hear music worthy of your ears.”
Music: Alternative / Electronica / Pop.

Archive Film Screenings

Archive screening of shipyards & Southside
Saturday 14 May, 14:00-16:00 (donations only)
Boat Shed, Queens Park

Oscar winning documentary Seawards the Great Ships (Dir. Hilary Harris, 1960) based on a treatment by John Grierson will be screened in the Boat Shed, Queens Park. Scenes in the drawing offices, steel mills and shipyards depict how the ships were constructed, launched and fitted out before starting out on voyages around the world.

There will also be additional archive footage shown of Southside Glasgow from the Scottish Screen Archive collections.

You Play Your Part

You Play Your Part
Saturday 14 May, 14:00-16:00 (donations only)
Pearce Institute Govan

The Pearce Institute in Govan will host a screening of You Play Your Part, a community based, participatory documentary about women’s struggles in Govan and Greater Glasgow. Taking its inspiration from the Govan Rent strikes of 1915, led by Mrs Barbour’s Army, the film tells the stories of campaigning women. Based on the experiences of women and men involved in the project, the film highlights striking women such as Mary Barbour, Agnes McLean, the campaign for equal pay and women’s working lives in the industries and trade unions of Clydeside.

Produced & directed by Kirsten MacLeod with members of The Govan Seniors Film Group and the Platforum Mental Health service, in association with Plantation Productions & The University of the West of Scotland.

Scottish Screenwriters Workshop

Scottish Screenwriters Workshop
Saturday 14 May, 13:00-15:00 (donations only)
Hutchesons' Grammer School

A must for all aspiring screenwriters, the Southside Film Festival will be hosting one of Scottish Screenwriters regular workshops at Hutchesons' Grammer School in the main building, entering by Beaton Road. The group hold regular meetings/workshops in Glasgow and Edinburgh where novice and professional screenwriters meet, discuss and develop ideas and scripts.

If you are interested in attending this workshop, please email us (southsidefilmfest@gmail.com) to register your interest.

When John McShane & Jerry Brannigan completed their first Writers Factory Screenwriting Course they enjoyed the workshopping element so much that they organised a writing group to meet monthly to continue their development as screenwriters. Now, 7 years on, the website, Scottish Screenwriters has well over 500 members as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow Groups who continue to meet monthly. Whether it’s at one of the meetings, or on the website, Scottish Screenwriters is a place where all screenwriters can go to meet fellow screenwriters, exchange information and have others read their work in a safe and constructive environment.

Jerry Brannigan is currently completing a feature film commission, and is working with John McShane on a number of projects on Robert Burns which includes a Book and a Drama for television. Both Jerry & John are also working with a New York based television production company and have set up a Glasgow based writing team to work with them.

Shorts for Wee Ones

Shorts for Wee Ones
Saturday 14 May, 9.30-11:00 (donations only)
Langside Library & Learning Centre

A discovery kids screening, Shorts for Wee Ones with its inventive, funny and fantastically colourful animations from around the world is a festival favourite.

South x Southside - Forest of Black Music Videos

South x Southside: Forest of Black Music Videos
Friday 13 May, 20.30-22:00 (£5)
The Shed (The Loft)

This screening and Q and A has been specially commissioned by the Southside Film Festival. The Forest of Black is a Glasgow based video production company run by director Blair Young and producer Beth Allan. The company produces creative video content for music related projects.
The Forest Of Black have spent the last decade quietly becoming the most productive music video company working out of Scotland. It’s not been an easy ride though, battling the London centric workings of the record industry and the inevitable creative compromises of a promotional format.

As well as producing music promos for Biffy Clyro, Franz Ferdinand and Belle and Sebastian (to name only a few), they have also provided for television documentaries, commercial and corporate advertising campaigns.

For this unique screening, rather than a straightforward retrospective, producer Beth Allan and director Blair Young have instead woven the pick of their own work, and some of the worst, into an entertaining quasi-documentary, illustrating both the company's story, and its voyages through the murky waters of the record industry. Questions will be taken and answered honestly.

The Neighbours

The Neighbours
Sunday 15 May, 16:00 (£5)
The Shed (Main Hall)

The Neighbours, is a short film directed by David McKay is an adaptation of the short story, Neighbors, by the late American writer, Raymond Carver.

{Still from The Neighbours}

This story examines a middle-aged couple’s sudden exposure to an enviable and unattainable lifestyle, and the effect that has on their relationship. Ernest and Sheila, are a somewhat staid pair, who have settled into a monotonous life. When their new neighbours ask them to feed their cat while they are away, Ernest and Sheila are exposed to a world that brings their own subdued desires to the surface, and changes their lives forever.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Sunday 15 May, 15:00 (£5)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

The Southside Film Festival in association with Shawlands Sherlock Holmes Society will hold a screening of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Dir. Billy Wilder,1970, cert: PG).

{image of poster from wikipedia}

When a bored Holmes eagerly takes the case of Gabrielle Valladon after an attempt on her life, the search for her missing husband leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster.

The Sherlock Holmes Society was founded by Barry Young of Young's Interesting Books on Skirving Street as he felt it was improper that there was not a Holmes appreciation society in the country of birth of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Opening Film - American Cousins

American Cousins

Friday 13 May, 20:00 (£5)

Venue TBC

The opening film of the festival will be the BAFTA nominated American Cousins with an intro and Q&A from writer (and southsider) Sergio Casci.

{poster for American Cousins)

The film tells the story of a mild-mannered Scots-Italian fish and chip shop owner who is alarmed when his two distant US cousins take refuge in his shop and start persuading a local loan shark not to reclaim his debt. Casci has written an article about Scots-Italians and their differences from their American cousins.

South x Southside: Composing Music for Film Seminar

Seminar - Composing Music for Film with Malcolm Lindsay, Eleanor Yule and Mick Cooke

Friday 13 May, 18:30-20:00 (donations only)

The Shed (The Loft)

A seminar discussing the art of composing music for film featuring the following great panellists:

• Malcolm Lindsay who is a winner of a Royal Television Society Award (2009) for his score in the ITV series Unforgiven and has composed a number of scores for television and feature films such as Blinded, 16 Years of Alcohol and Young Adam.

• Mick Cooke is probably best known as the trumpeter, bassist and orchestral arranger for Belle and Sebastian, and he has been composing for screen since 2007, including the score for Gili Dolev's animation The Happy Duckling.

• Eleanor Yule is an award winning writer and director, whose credits include an acclaimed profile on R.D.Laing, BBC Series Ghost stories for Christmas, feature film Blinded, and she has collaborated with many fine film composers including the late Geoffrey Burgon (Life of Brian, Brideshead Revisited) and Scottish born composer Malcolm Lindsey (Blinded, Michael Palin and the Mystery of Hammershoi).

Southside Film Fest - an experience for everyone

This festival is not just for film buffs - the programme aims to cater for young and old, rich and poor, across the Southside and hopefully there will be something for everyone.

For young kids there will be a selection of films from the Dundee Discovery Childrens' Film Festival. For older people some archive footage of the local area from the 1960s and there will a number of family friendly screenings too. The programme will also include animation, music videos, artist's films and a selection of short films programmed by the Glasgow Short Film Festival.

All this plus feature films that have been produced by Southside or Scottish talent. For those who want to learn more about filmmaking there will be also be workshops on screenwriting, acting and talks by filmmakers.

There will be a festival hub so people who come to the festival can meet and talk to the filmmakers and discuss the films, workshops and talks with other Southsiders. The aim is to make the festival a social as well as a cultural experience.

Introducing Karen O'Hare

Karen O'Hare is the driving force behind the festival and here she explains why she started the festival and what makes it unique:

"I am keen to make the festival work as I love film and I love the Southside and I feel that there are so few opportunities for Southsiders to get together socially as a community to celebrate and share all that is great about film, filmmaking and the Southside!

Southside Glasgow is not only the most ethically diverse place in Scotland, it is also a vibrant place, rich in culture and creativity. But the Southside has no cinema and the Glasgow Film Festival doesn't come south of the Clyde so Southsiders cannot easily and locally access quality, independent and international films outside of what is screened in the city centre cinema chains.

What makes the festival unique is the also the fact that there is no cinema in the Southside so the festival screening venues will be pubs, clubs, church halls, artist studios and other community venues which means Southsiders will see films not only on their door step but in places where they would least expect it. Attending a talk, workshop or film over Southside Film Festival will be a unique experience."

About Karen: she currently works at Screen Academy Scotland, a Skillset Film & Media Academy, where she develops, delivers and manages both a training programme for post graduate film students and short training courses for film & TV professionals in Scotland. She is also a BAFTA / Media Trust Youth Mentor and has recently helped a group of teeangers at the Scottish Spina Bifida Association make a short film.

Karen has volunteered for numerous film festivals since 1999 in lots of different roles from technical manager to projectionist, from runner to sitting on award juries.

Film making @ Southside Film Fest

The festival has run an open submission call for Southside filmmakers or films about the Southside which will be screened at a special Southside Film programme.

There will also be screening of the local film group work Film Headz and Starting Block, new film-making training and mentoring initiative for first-time filmmakers run by Diversity Films.

There will also be workshops over the weekend in screenwriting, directing and acting and we will be encouraging people to make a film in the Southside on their phone or digital camera over the weekend and we will screen the best one(s) at our Southside Film screening on the Sunday.

Festival highlights

Details for many events are still to be confirmed but we wanted to flag up some of the highlights you can look forward to over the weekend.

South x Southside, a seminar on composing music for film with contributions from Mick Cooke of Belle and Sebastian followed by screenings of music videos from celebrated Forest of Black.

For young kids there will be a selection of films from Dundee's Discovery Film Festival.

A special screening of 'Save Our Pool' in Govanhill Baths to mark the 10th anniversary of the Govanhill Baths sit in and forced closure, held as a fundraiser for the Govanhill Baths Trust.

{image of baths from Shannow}

Lots more to be announced at the end of April so keep coming back!

Crying with Laughter

Crying with Laughter
Saturday 14 May, 19:30 (£5)
The Shed

The Southside Film Festival is delighted to be screening Crying with Laughter at The Shed with an introduction and post film Q& A session from star of the film, Stephen McCole!

{still from Crying with Laughter}

Crying with Laughter is a powerfully redemptive and darkly comedic revenge thriller, set against the vicious world of stand-up comedy. Find out more in the official press pack here.

Shorts - Summer Stories

Short Films Programme 2: Summer Stories (PG)
Sun 15 May, 16:00
Boat Shed

**Note the change of venue to the Boat Shed from Hidden Gardens**
Song, laughter and distant landscapes feature in this family-friendly selection of diverse films from Glasgow Short Film Festival 2011, which will be screened on Sunday 15th May, 16:00 at the Boat Shed, Queens Park.

{still from In A Pig's Eye}

The films being screened are:

• XXIX / Laurel MacDonald / Canada / 2010 / 7 min
• In A Pig's Eye / Atsushi Wada / Japan / 2010 / 10 min
• Canopy Crossings / Gary Yong / Thailand & USA / 2010 / 19 min
• The Pedestrian / Stuart Elliott / UK / 2010 / 7 min
• The Accordion / Jafar Panahi / Iran / 2009 / 9 min
• Madagascar, A Journey Diary / Bastien Dubois / France / 2009 / 12 min
• Spider Fang! / Justin Perkinson / USA / 2010 / 2 min

XXIX is a multicultural performance of a fifteenth century choral piece, whilst Canopy Crossings combines travelogue and wistful fiction in a Thai marketplace. Prepare to be befuddled by the indescribable In A Pig’s Eye, seduced by the Oscar-nominated animation Madagascar, A Journey Diary and won over by Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s life-affirming work The Accordion. Closer to home, Stuart Elliott’s Glasgow-shot The Pedestrian is a hilarious audience-pleaser and Spider Fang! will send shivers down your spine!

Shorts - Dreamlands

Short Films Programme 1: Dreamlands (15)
Saturday 14 May, 19:30
The Chalet

Strange worlds, eccentric characters and unexpected happenings await in this eclectic, international selection of films from Glasgow Short Film Festival 2011 being screened at The Chalet on Saturday 14 May at 19:30.

{still from Death of a Pop Star}

The films being screened are:

• Picknick / Henrik Andersson / Sweden / 2010 / 15 min
• Surpriseville / Tim Travers Hawkins / UK / 2010 / 10 min
• Photos of God / Paul Wright / UK / 2010 / 28 min
• X.O. Genesis / Rowan Wernham / New Zealand / 2010 / 12 min
• Death of a Pop Star / Greg Loser / USA / 2010 / 15 min

Discover Swedish drama Picknick, a bizarre snapshot of masculinity in crisis; experience the beautiful, sorrowful and fragmented world of Paul Wright’s Photos of God; and take an intergalactic ride in the wildly inventive animation X.O. Genesis. Also featured in this programme is the thought-provoking documentary Surpriseville, an exploration of the mental and physical boundaries of an American community, and masterful drama Death of a Pop Star, which captures the strange characters living in the home of an ailing celebrity.

Submit a film

Are you a filmmaker? Are you are Southsider? Then you are a Southside fimmaker!

The first film festival in the Southside of Glasgow will screen local filmmakers work or work set in the Southside of Glasgow. Deadline for submissions is Thursday 21st April, 2011.

Email southsidefilmfest@gmail.com for more info.

Nosferatu

Nosferatu
Sunday 15 May, 20:00 (£5)
Pollokshaws Burgh Hall

Nosferatu, the 1922 black and white silent horror classic, directed by FW Murnau, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula will be screened on Sunday 15th May, 20:00 with live organ accompaniment by Larry McGuire on the mighty Wurlitzer Organ at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall.

{still from Nosferatu}

This is a unique experience and a great opportunity to see a vampire classic. Check out the work of the Scottish Cinema Organ Trust for more about this unique cinema experience.

Volunteer with the Festival

The Southside Film Festival is looking for volunteers to help out in advance of the festival and/or during the festival. Before and during the festival we will need help promoting and documenting the festival to raise awareness and ensure good coverage.

On the weekend itself volunteers will be needed to liaise with the venues, look after guests, handle the box office and do general front of house duties.

If you are interested in getting film making experience, you could volunteer on the 48hour film challenge that will be running over the festival.

If you are interested please contact Karen on southsidefilmfest@gmail.com to find out more.

Welcome to the Southside Film Festival Blog!

This blog will provide information about the behind the scenes work involved in putting together a festival, the programme we have planned and live posts over the weekend.

The Southside Film Festival will take place in Southside Glasgow over the weekend of 13-15 May, 2011.

This is the first ever film festival south of the Clyde and will cater to all Southsiders with screenings in various locations, from church halls to local clubs, from schools to the local park boat shed.

You can find out more on our website (coming soon), follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook or contact us at southsidefilmfest@gmail.com for more info.