What's On Scotland 21-28 Aug: Govanhill Festival & more

Edinburgh usually takes the festival cookie in August, but this week it's Glasgow's turn to shine, with Govanhill International Festival - now in its fourth year - offering another unmissable programme of book talks, film screenings and workshops.

Running from 21-31 August, Govanhill International Festival celebrates the crucial contribution that immigrants make to the Glasgow neighbourhood's culture, community and history. There is a mix of digital and in person events, but don't worry, all on site events are ticketed, regulated and socially distanced to ensure everyone's safety. The festival kicks off with a screening of Love Music Hate Racism, with an after party streamed straight to your home. There are also several open air film screenings, including Jean Cocteau's iconic Beauty and the Beast, free language sessions, a photography exhibition by Simon Murphy in collaboration with Street Level Photoworks , and a street music festival. Check out their programme for details.

If that's not enough to get your reconnected with your city, Edinburgh's big galleries are reopening this week, Edinburgh Book Festival and Glasgow Short Film Festival are up and running, and there are digital activities galore.

National Galleries of Scotland
Edinburgh
Edinburgh's National Galleries are back in action! The Scottish National Gallery on the Mound is already open, and Modern One will follow suit on Monday 24 August. Free tickets need to be booked in advance for a specific time slot, and there is a one way route around the galleries to avoid any awkward bumping into strangers. Image: National Galleries.

This Sh*t Is For Us
Online. 22 Aug, 5pm
The final round table run by Fringe of Colour Films premieres this Saturday. Join Scottish poet and playwright Hannah Lavery (pictured), Uganda-based journalist and activist Florence Kyohangirwe, writer Campbell X and the festival's very own Tomiwa Folorunso for a discussion of how to create community spaces in the arts. Image: Hazel Mirsepasi.

Glasgow Short Film Festival
Until Sun 23 Aug
There's still a few days left of Glasgow Short Film Festival, who have moved this year's programme entirely online. There are innumerable great shorts to choose from, including a series of Nobuhiko Ôbayashi's youth films and a strand revolving around Black Spatial Imaginaries.

Shedinburgh Fringe Festival
Online. Until 5 Sep, various times
There are over two weeks left of Shedinburgh Fringe Festival, a series of socially distanced performances streamed live from, well, sheds. There's a variety of unmissable acts, including legendary Fringe comedian Sophie Duker, and tickets are by donation. Image: Peter Dibdin.

Reconfigure Life Drawing
Online. Wed 26 Aug, 7pm
Reconfigure run some of the best life drawing sessions in Scotland. Each week features innovative themes, experienced models and a chill, welcoming atmosphere, even over Zoom. This upcoming week's theme is "A Bird's Eye View of the Bed" - grab your pencils and get cosy. Image: Colin Dougall.

Selva Almada at Edinburgh International Book Festival
Tue 25 Aug, 1pm
One of Argentina's leading writers, Selva Almada's The Wind That Lays Waste won the Book Festival's 2019 First Book Award. This year, she's back to discuss her new book Dead Girls, a searing piece of fictional journalism that imagines the internal lives of young female murder victims. Image: Vale Fiorini.

Tours at Collective
Edinburgh
With only a few weeks left of the summer, now is the time to get outside. Calton Hill-based gallery Collective are offering tours of their surroundings every Thurs-Sun that can be prebooked, or you can download their series of audio tours by local artists to go at your own pace. Image: Tom Nolan.