Scottish Film Events: March 2024

IberoDocs, the festival dedicated to documentaries from Spanish, Portuguese and Latin-American filmmakers, began on 21 February and will continue until 2 March. One upcoming highlight is José & Pilar, Miguel Gonçalves Mendes’ delicate portrait of the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author José Saramago and his wife, Pilar del Rio. Mendes will be in Edinburgh for a post-film conversation, and there’ll be a selection of Saramago’s work available if you're inspired to dive into his writing (2 Mar, McDonald Road Library). 

If music is more your vibe, there's Miúcha, the Voice of Bossa Nova from Brazilian filmmakers Liliane Mutti and Daniel Zarvos. The co-directors will be in Edinburgh for a Q&A, and the screening will be followed by a performance from Edinburgh-based bossa nova band Fingertraps (1 Mar, Institut Français). IberoDocs comes to a close at Lost in Leith on 2 March with One Day Lobo Lopez, the story of Kiko Veneno’s hit album Échate un cantecito, followed by a dance party with live music and DJs.

March also sees the return of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (7-10 Mar). Two retrospectives jump out as highlights. There’s a deep dive into the work of Basma al-Sharif, a nomadic artist and filmmaker whose parents are Palestinian: expect films challenging the legacy of colonialism through satirical, immersive, and lyrical images. There’s also a focus on Argentine filmmaker Eduardo Williams, best known for the extraordinary The Human Surge. Its follow-up, The Human Surge 3 (there is no part 2), will have its UK premiere at Berwick. Also look out for plenty of boundary-pushing short films in the always exciting New Cinema strand.

Glasgow Film Theatre have an unmissable season dedicated to pioneering director Dorothy Arzner, who was at one point the only woman helming features during Hollywood's Golden Age. Four films screen, including her sparkling study of female friendship Dance, Girl, Dance with Lucille Ball and Maureen O’Hara (14 & 30 Mar), and the dark relationship drama Craig’s Wife, starring Rosalind Russell (16 & 19 Mar).

The above are good movies. But what about bad ones? Well you can 'enjoy' them with funny movie buffs like Billy Kirkwood and Chris Thorburn at Glasgow Comedy Festival’s Watch Bad Movies with Great Comedians, a night of live commentary to truly honking films (28 Mar, The Glee Club). This event is an 80s special, so expect turkeys like Masters of the Universe, Mac & Me and Howard the Duck to be on the menu.