Noah Baumbach's While We're Young Opens 2015 Glasgow Film Festival

After it’s 10th birthday celebration, Glasgow Film Festival made things tough for itself for 2015 festival and tonight they proved they can go one better. The 11th edition of the festival was launched tonight in the boutique surroundings of Citizen M Hotel with an embarrassment of riches of fantastic films, strands, free events kicking off with the European Premiere of Noah Baumbach‘s While We’re Young.

The film name may not have the pulling power of last year’s opening/closing galas however it’s another major coup for what many people are calling UK’s biggest and best film festival outside London. From the director of Frances Ha starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver all names with star power and why its a fantastic choice. Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure will close will close the festival,an expected Oscar nominated film which should be an cautionary tale for fathers chose your phone or your family!

170 films make up 2015 Glasgow Film Festival, 16 strands delivering great new films from all around the world, unique film experiences, special pop up events , living up to the saying ‘something for everyone’ This year will see the festival. 15 World Premieres, 10 European, 33 UK and 65 Scottish Premieres!

What’s new for this year is the introduction of the Audience Award which will give those who attend the film festival to pick to vote on a selection of ten films by first and second-time directors. This has been designed to showcase some exceptional early career talents creating pioneering and brilliant work. Films such as Ana Lily Amirpour‘s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Jonas Alexander Arnby‘s When Animals Dream some are calling this the ‘new Under The Skin’ but with wearwolves. Desiree Akhhavan‘s Appropriate Behaviour, Sundance winning 52 Tuesdays, Tom Brown’s Radiator are some of the other films in the awards, 10 in total battling for your vote.

Among the other great new films showing are UK Premiere of Julianne Moore‘s Still Alice the film which many are saying will earn her an Oscar, Dustin Hoffman‘s Boychoir,Wim Wenders’ Oscar®-nominated documentary Salt of the Earth, some critics are calling the director’s best work in a very long time. The follow up to Gareth Edward’s Monsters,we will see if Tom Green can deliver with Monsters:Dark Continent. New Zealander Cliff Curtis star of Whale Rider and lead role in the upcoming Walking Dead Spin-off will be coming with his new film The Dark Horse. The BAFTA nominated Carol Morley will be bringing her popular London Film Festival feature film debut The Falling, Jon Stewart is known for his chatshow talents he will now show off his filmmaking talents with Rosewater. Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos starring Kate Winslet, love True Detective you’ll love a richly-textured Spanish murder mystery,set in the Andaluz swamps.Roy Andersson’s 100 Year Old Man was a big hit last year, this it’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,a masterful reflection on the human condition unfolds in thirty nine meticulously composed tableaux vivants.It wouldn’t be a film festival with an Juliet Binoche film and Clouds of Sil maria also starring Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz make it’s UK premiere.

The Frightfest guys return with 10th anniversary with 3 World, 2 European as well as 6 UK Premiere’s never disappoint. Christopher Lloyd and Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabelle team up for a female revenge quest chiller 88, Mischa Barton stars in The Hoarder in a intense and chilling psychological thriller. (A Full line up will be in the next post) Not part of the Frightfest but horror genre fresh from Sundance It Follows starring The Guest’s Maika Monroe make it’s Scottish Premiere a tale of a sexually-transmitted ghost! Spring, The Town That Dreaded Sundown should also bring a smile to horror fans.

It’s not just about the new films the film festival give cinephiles a chance to experience the magic of old classics on the big screen. Here’s Looking At You Kid will celebrate the Golden Age star Ingrid Bergman work and her contribution to world cinema. From her cherished role in Casablanca, Hitchcock’s Notorious, Anastasia, From Whom The Bell Tolls, Spellbound are some of the highlights and all at a fiver, so no excuses! Some of those classics are the backdrop to some of the great event’s with Paul Merton will host a Buster Keaton night sharing his passion for the silent comedy master, why not watch Richard Linklater’s cult classic Dazed and Confused before that get into the retro groove with a roller disco!

Tickets for the main festival programme are on sale from 10am on Monday 26 January. Passes for FrightFest, GFF’s horror festival-within-the-festival, go on sale at 10am Thursday 22 January. Tickets will go fast especially when prices for an adult ticket are £9 each (concessions £7, children £5) and you can buys yours at the venue or online at www.glasgowfilm.org/festival where you can download your copy of the 2015 brochure and more information on the other strands. Glasgow make people, Glasgow Film Festival makes cinephiles.