Scottish Film Events: December 2024
It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. With many arts venues hanging by a thread this year, why not see out 2024 with a visit to your local indie cinema?
The year comes to an end with two key indie arts venues in Glasgow shut for the winter – OFFLINE is off because it still doesn’t have proper heating and the CCA has closed till April because of a budget shortfall. Summerhall in Edinburgh, meanwhile, is essentially closed (and could potentially be sold) thanks to a winding-up petition applied by HMRC. If it wasn’t abundantly clear, it’s a perilous time for the bricks-and-mortar institutions which are essential to Scotland’s bright film scene. So this festive season, be sure to head out and support the venues that are still operating.
You could watch some Christmas films, perhaps? The classics are screening, of course: there are many chances to catch the likes of It’s a Wonderful Life (13-24 Dec, GFT; 21-24 Dec, DCA; 20-24 Dec, Cameo) and The Muppet Christmas Carol (15-24 Dec, GFT; 23-24 Dec, DCA; 7-15 Dec, Cameo), but there are plenty of less traditional picks too.
Cameo’s selection is particularly inspired. As well as darker visions of Christmas like Batman Returns (6 Dec), Black Christmas (13 Dec), The Apartment (12 & 15 Dec) and All that Heaven Allows (16-19 Dec), the Edinburgh cinema is also making a case for more recent films like Little Women (7-9 Dec) and Tangerine (24 Dec) to be welcomed into the Christmas film pantheon, along with a trio of festive 2024 releases – The Holdovers (11 Dec), All of Us Strangers (18 Dec) and Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (24 Dec).
Away from Xmas, BFI’s high-octane season Art of Action comes to DCA with screenings of Point Break (13 Dec), The Adventures of Robin Hood (7 Dec) and Bong Joon-ho’s blistering Snowpiercer (4 Dec). There’s also a great double bill of female-led Mexican curios The Panther Women and The Bat Woman courtesy of Invisible Women collective (10 Dec).
GFT closes out a great year of CineMasters with a season dedicated to Scotland's greatest-ever filmmaker, Bill Douglas. Douglas only made a handful of shorts and one feature, so the season is slim, but these stunning films shouldn’t be missed on the big screen. His award-winning trilogy of shorts – My Childhood, My Ain Folk and My Way Home – screens on 14 December and his 1986 epic Comrades is on the 21st. And to put the season in context, check out Bill Douglas: My Best Friend, Jack Archer’s documentary tracing Douglas's friendship with his long-time collaborator Peter Jewell. That doc kicks off the season on 11 December, followed by a Q&A with Archer.