Glasgow Film Festival 2023: Must-sees to look out for

Glasgow Film Festival returns this year from 1^st until 12^th March, and attendees can experience another year of fantastic cinema that highlights local talent alongside filmmakers from around the globe.

In addition to a broad selection of films spanning every genre, the festival will likewise host a number of guests, including Kelly Macdonald (Typist Artist Pirate King), James Cosmo (My Sailor, My Lover), Matt Johnson (BlackBerry) and many more.

Whatever cinephiles looking for, there’s something at this year’s event. With so much to choose from, here is just a small selection to look out for when attending GFF23.

Girl (1^st and 2^nd March)

This edition of the festival kicks off with the feature debut of BAFTA-nominated writer-director Adura Onashile.

Set in Glasgow, this wonderfully acted mother-daughter story sees Grace (Déborah Lukumuena) and her 11-year-old daughter Ama (Le’Shantey Bonsu) attempt to make a life for themselves in a new city. But with everything seeming to go against them, Grace begins to worry that she’s about to loose the bond she has with her child.

God’s Creatures (2^nd and 3^rd March)

Starring Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal, this hard-hitting Irish drama from Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer takes audiences to a quaint fishing village to explore themes of gender dynamics to haunting effect.

When Brian (Mescal) returns home announced after living abroad, his mother (Emily Watson) is the only one who’s happy to see him. But when her son is charged with sexual assault, the small community is shaken to its core, with his mother now forced to confront the reality of the situation.

BlackBerry (3^rd and 4^th March)

After making waves at Berlinale earlier this month, audiences have a chance to catch BlackBerry for themselves in Glasgow. A wild outing that documents the rise and fall of the titular smartphone, this film is directed and co-written by Matt Johnson, who also stars as company co-founder Douglas Fregin. When he and his business partner Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) are catapulted to success after a chance meeting, the pair’s relationship begins to fracture when pressure begins to grow.

Told in Johnson’s signature style of filmmaking, BlackBerry is one of the more unique films of the year thus far.

The Astronaut (5^th and 6^th March)

From director Nicolas Giraud, The Astronaut is a heartwarming tale about following one’s dreams, no matter how big they are.

The flick stars Giraud as an aeronautical engineer who dreams of going into space for himself, and centres around his pursuit to build his own rocket. His efforts grab the attention of a retired astronaut (Mathieu Kassovitz), and his wild fantasies are gradually bought closer to becoming a reality.

Pearl (5^th and 6^th March)

Ti West’s X was one of the bigger surprises of last year, and filmgoers now have a chance to catch its follow-up, Pearl, at the festival.

Just as viciously entertaining as its predecessor, this prequel sees Mia Goth reprise her role as the titular character. Before she massacred a group of adult film stars, Pearl was a young woman who tended to her sick father while living with the abuse of her religious mother, all whilst dreaming of becoming a dancer on the big screen.

A blood-spattered call-back to classic slasher cinema, Pearl is an unmissable treat for horror fans. 

The Origin (5^th and 7^th March)

A Stone Age survival horror shot in the Scottish Highlands, Andrew Cumming’s The Origin is certainly one of the more unique genre affairs out there. 

The film follows a close-knit group of survivors make their way across the treacherous landscape in search of a better future for themselves. However, their dwindling supplies aren’t their only worry: it soon becomes apparent that a mysterious creature is stalking the group.

Complete with stunning visuals that create an enthralling atmosphere alongside an excellent cast, this is one film that shouldn’t be passed by.

Riceboy Sleeps (6^th and 7^th March)

Anthony Shim’s charming tale of family and identity follows mother So-young (Choi Seung-yoon) as she moves from South Korea to Canada in the 1990s to start a new life for herself and her young son.

Causing plenty of buzz on the festival circuit (including TIFF, where it won the Platform Prize), Riceboy Sleeps is a sharp, funny and beautifully realised vision of the struggles of assimilating into a different culture.

Nightsiren (6^th and 7^th March)

Two decades after a family tragedy, Sarlota (Natalia Germani) returns to her childhood home in a remote mountain village to claim the inheritance left by her recently deceased mother. However, when she attempts to reconnect with her past, she begins to face hostility from the superstitious locals who accuse her of being a witch.

Nightsiren, a timely genre affair from director and co-writer Tereza Nvotová, sets out to shine an unflinching light on violence and misogyny against women in society.

Mister Organ (7^th and 8^th March)

The latest feature from David Farrier (Tickled, Dark Tourist), Mister Organ promises to be just as sinisterly captivating as the filmmaker’s other forays into strangeness.

This time Farrier turns his attention on a character named Michael Organ, who’s dubbed the most annoying man in New Zealand. As Farrier begins to learn more about who this person is via an investigation that brings to light stories of violence and a possible royal heritage, distinguishing between fact and fiction becomes increasingly difficult.

Smoking Causes Coughing (9^th March)

No Glasgow Film Festival would be complete without a weekend marathon of horror films. Out of this year’s selection of grizzly goodies, there’s been a lot of excitement around Smoking Causes Coughing.

The latest film from Rubber’s Quentin Dupieux, this absurdist superhero comedy follows an ensemble group of crime fighters named The Tobacco Force, who use cigarette-based weaponry to battle villains. But when their leader (a puppet rat) realises the group aren’t performing at their best, he sends them on a lakeside team-building retreat to prepare for their next showdown. 

Being one of Dupieux’s films, things can only get stranger when the members start to tell each other campfire stories.

Andrew Murray

Read more of our Glasgow Film Festival 2023 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Glasgow Film Festival website here.

Watch a teaser for the festival here: