Scottish Film Events: September 2023
Heroes of 70s American cinema are celebrated in Scottish cinemas this month, one of our favourite festivals returns, and there's the latest free screening from the CineSkinny Film Club
The films of the New Hollywood era are never far from our cinema screen, but they’re particularly dominant in September. The Cameo in Edinburgh, for example, is screening two films to mark the death of William Friedkin: his Oscar-winning cop thriller The French Connection (11 Sep) and his jaw-dropping gay S&M fantasy Cruising (4 Sep) – he truly was one of a kind. RIP.
Friedkin’s pal Martin Scorsese is still with us and going strong at Glasgow Film Theatre, where they’ve been screening a Scorsese of the Month since last summer, chosen by a local critic, musician or writer. This month the honour falls to crackerjack author Heather Parry, who’s chosen a corker: The King of Comedy, a wild satire about celebrity that feels more relevant with each passing year (18 Sep).
One New Hollywood figure who’s in need of more attention is the great Greenock-born screenwriter Alan Sharp. He penned some of the best and bleakest films of the 70s, and GFT is showing a few of them this September with introductions from season curator David Manderson. The lineup includes three of Sharp’s westerns, The Hired Hand (7 Sep), Ulzana's Raid (14 Sep), and Billy Two Hats (21 Sep), and his downbeat thriller Night Moves (28 Sep), which screens on 35mm.
Passages
Elsewhere, there’s a Ken Loach Q&A at GFT for The Old Oak (reportedly the great director's last film) on 20 September. For a filmmaker still near the start of their career, look out for Will Anderson's Q&A tour of his debut A Cat Called Dom – find him at the Cameo (24 Sep), DCA (30 Sep) and GFT (23 Sep). That latter screening is part of Glasgow Youth Film Festival (22-24 Sep).
Another festival that we’d hoped to have featured this month is SQIFF, but unfortunately the programme isn’t released until 8 September. One of the most vital festivals on the Scottish calendar, SQIFF took a break in 2022 and returns with a five-day event, running 26 to 30 September at the CCA, Glasgow, with a fresh new team headed up by director Indigo Korres. Mark those dates in your calendar!
And a final note, be sure to head along to our free CineSkinny Film Club screenings of Passages, the brilliant new film from Ira Sachs. We’re at the CCA on 6 September and at Summerhall in Edinburgh on 7 September. For tickets, head to theskinny.co.uk/tickets.