What's On Scotland 9-16 Sep: Phenomenal Women, Marilyn Monroe & more

The mighty Scottish Documentary Institute do the lord’s work in promoting and nurturing documentary filmmaking in Scotland. One of the cornerstones in their year-round activities is Phenomenal Women, their annual celebration of women documentary filmmakers. This year’s lineup takes place at Summerhall in Edinburgh, Eden Court in Inverness, and online, with a programme of acclaimed docs tackling mental health issues and politics through a personal lens and a female gaze. 

The event kicks off in both cities on 10 September with the Scottish premiere of Self-Portrait, a deeply moving look at the life of Norwegian photographer Lene Marie Fossen and her lifelong struggle with anorexia. Directed by Katja Høgset, Margreth Olin and Espen Wallin, the film chronicles Fossen’s remarkable photography practice as well as her complicated relationship with her deadly condition. The raw and powerful results show how the late Fossen was much more than the disease she suffered with since adolescence.

Also screening this weekend, on 11 September, is Chilean-Mexican documentary film Beyond My Grandfather Allende. Centred on the granddaughter of Salvador Allende – Chile’s first democratic socialist president who was overthrown during Chile's 1973 coup d’état – it follows her as she explore her family's tragic history. The following weekend sees two more great documentaries by women screening: All About My Sisters (pictured) by Wang Qiong on 17 September and Island of the Hungry Ghosts by Gabrielle Brady on 18 September.

Full screening details at scottishdocinstitute.com

ADVERTISEMENT | Dundee Rep Theatre and Perth Theatre present: Don Quixote
It's time to put on the armour, saddle up the mobility scooter and go forth on a journey (N.B. NOT an emotional one!)

In an exciting new co-production between Dundee Rep and Perth Theatre, we bring you a riotous reimagining of the classic story of Don Quixote. Together with a live flamenco guitar score, one 87-year old man decides to cut through the noise and be the good old-fashioned hero the world needs right now.

Click here for tickets and more information

Susan Bear
Mono, Glasgow, 15 Sep, 8pm
Susan Bear fairly gets around. You might have seen this musical chameleon as one half of Tuff Love, pitching in on keyboards for Pictish Trail’s live shows or as their solo project Good Dog. Bear drops the ‘Good Dog' moniker here to release new album Alter and takes to Mono this week with a show to help launch the record. Image: Beth Chalmers

Slim Wrist
Safari Lounge, Edinburgh, 10 Sep, 7.30pm
Also launching a record this week are Edinburgh duo Slim Wrist. Titled Closer for Comforting, the album sees Brian Pokora and Fern Morris create a wholly enticing record full of glitchy beats and abstract lyricism, all wrapped up in delightfully spacious compositions. Image: Laura Meek

ADVERTISEMENT | Aberdeen International Comedy Festival
Various venues, Aberdeen, 6-16 Oct, various times
Comedy returns with a bang in October with a lineup of gut-busting comedians set to grace the granite city for 11 days from Thursday 6 to Sunday 16 October! With around 50 shows taking place at over 20 venues across the city centre, comedy fans will find something for everyone in this year's star-studded lineup. Headliners include the legendary David O’Doherty, deadpan Jack Dee, Netflix sensation Daniel Sloss and Britain’s Got Talent winner Daliso Chaponda.

Tae Sup at The Queen's
Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 14 Sep, 8pm
James Yorkston’s long-standing club night Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer ventures across the water this month with a show at the Queen’s Hall's new performance space. The lineup is as eclectic as ever. Lyrical singer-songwriter Junior Brother, electronic musician Helena Celle, and Eigg dwelling electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder Pictish Trail (pictured) all feature; expect a few tunes from your host too. Image: Fiona Hunter

Werewolf Double-Bill
Cameo, Edinburgh, 10 Sep, 7pm
Tis a full moon on 10 September, so Cameo are screening two great werewolf flicks: John Landis’s An American Werewolf in London (on 35mm) and Joe Dante’s The Howling, which were released only a few months apart in 1981. We’re delighted to see Edinburgh’s Cameo back in the horror double-bill game, and we’re even more excited to learn that Cameo’s All-Night Horror Madness will be returning in October – watch this space for more details.

ADVERTISEMENT | Tae Sup at The Queen's
Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
Songwriter James Yorkston’s gloriously eclectic nights of music and sounds have made a new home at The Queen’s Hall. These intimate, multi-act shows are hosted in a brand-new performance space and showcase standout performances from across genre boundaries.

Wed 14 Sep: Pictish Trail | Helena Celle | Junior Brother
Wed 14 Dec: Martin & Eliza Carthy | Iona Fyfe | Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Myles O Reilly
Tickets at thequeenshall.net

Mojxmma
Bonjour, Glasgow, 10 Sep, 11pm
Glasgow’s QTIPoC party Mojxmma is back at Bonjour this month with a knockout end of summer blowout planned. Berlin-based DJ AUCO will be getting the party going with a set incorporating newly-evolved genres like Gqom and Jersey club alongside old-school staples Jungle, Garage and Ragga. For more on Mojxmma’s forward-thinking ethos, check out our interview in the September issue of The Skinny. Image: Bonjour

We Were Promised Jetpacks
La Belle Angèle, Edinburgh, 10 Sep, 7pm
This should be a lively one. Edinburgh indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks are guaranteed a hero's welcome when they play their hometown this weekend. Their fifth album, Enjoy the View, will have been on heavy rotation with fans since its release this time last year, so expect the crowd to know all the lyrics by now. Image: Euan Robertson

Marilyn Monroe season
Summerhall Cinema, Edinburgh, from 15 Sep
Later this month, Andrew Dominik’s new film Blonde will take a brooding look at the life of Marilyn Monroe. Summerhall are taking a different tack on the 60th anniversary of her death with screenings of three films when she was at her most luminescent. The season kicks off with the joyous musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (15 & 18 Sep), with saucy comedy The Seven Year Itch (22 & 24 Sep) and moody western The Misfits (29 Sep & 2 Oct) rounding out the season.