Glasgow Youth Film Festival

Now in its fourth year, the Glasgow Youth Film Festival offers workshops for budding filmmakers and a diverse selection of films chosen by the GYFF Youth Group. Encompassing retrospectives, horror, documentary and comedy, among many others, the selection is only slightly marred by its representation of exclusively Western filmmaking, indicating perhaps a current dislike of subtitles within the general viewing public. Yet there is something for everyone within the twenty-five films being screened. The youth of today can find themselves not only well represented by films such as 32A, American Teen, Worlds Apart and Palme D’Or winner The Class, all of which focus on aspects of teenage life, but they also have the opportunity to showcase their own talents. The Diversity Films Night has free entry and shows screenings of a selection of films made by members of the local Easterhouse film community, including the premiere of Glasgow’s Urban Collective, which follows young people within the independent music industry. The Co-Operative Young Filmmakers Festival gives 9-21 year olds the chance to display their works, with an array of short films of all genres. Meanwhile, those with a very limited attention span should head to The Arches on 17 February for a mid-festival party, at which the winning entry of the one-minute film competition will be shown. Including a broad selection of films from all strands of the Glasgow Film Festival, the Youth Film Festival can be seen as an unofficial best of. Films include Werner Herzog’s unconventional Encounters at the End of the World, which won Best Documentary at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2008 and has now earned him his first Oscar-nomination. Also collecting awards is music documentary Anvil!: The Story of Anvil. Far from being another mockumentary in the style of This Is Spinal Tap, it confirms that the real world of rock ’n’ roll is equally, if not more, ridiculous than any spoof. From documentaries to Hollywood comedies like Marley and Me or Hamlet 2, any prospective filmmaker can find inspiration within the GYFF. To show just what determination and an imagination can accomplish, look no further than Elevator, a claustrophobic’s nightmare shot in Romania for a mere two hundred Euro. The GYFF also acknowledges its roots, with a selection of retrospectives. A young Errol Flynn proves his worth in The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood, and the iconic Audrey Hepburn is flawless in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Taking into account the constant appeal of the blood-sucking undead, Nosferatu is being shown with live music accompaniment, representing the vampire’s origins on celluloid, while Swedish export Let the Right One In promises to revamp the vamp for modern audiences. Despite the lack of non-European or American films, the choices made by the GYFF Youth Group indicate the interests of Scottish youth, and their selection ensures all audiences will be satisfied, whether young or simply young at heart.