For the past couple of months I’ve been working with Glasgow Film Festival currating the fashion strand. There have been a few films I’ve known about and been wanting to talk about for utterly ages and a few I only found about when I got the brochure in my inbox. After last nights press launch the embargo is lifted and I can finally talk to you about the films I’m most excited about for GFF13.
The ABC’s of Death
Well this guy just sounds like it will be a whole mess of fun. An anthology film of 26 ways to die, each by different directors spanning 15 different countries. With shorts from Ben Wheatley (Kill List) and Ti West (The Inkeepers) the film sounds like an utter riot and has creeped itself good and proper on to my MUST SEE list.
The World’s Most Fashionable Prison
Renowned Phillipines fashion designer Puey Quinones turns convicts in to couturiers. With his weekly workshops inside the largest maximum security prison in the Phillipines he teaches inmates new skills – how to design and sew working towards a fashion show at the end of the project. It all sounds like it could be a little grim but the film is suprisingly upbeat. It’s never exploitative – and explores the relationships between the prisoners as they work towards the runway show intertwining Quinones personal and work life throughout.
Helter Skelter
This guy is worth seeing just to look at. It’s pretty. Real pretty. Directed by fashion photographer Mika Ninagawa and based on the manga of the same name Helter Skelter is frequently psychotic, sometimes delerious and always beautiful. Exploring the dark underbelly of fashion – we follow Ririko – a super model with a dark secret as she her obsession with beauty, power and fame consume her – pushing her sanity to the very brink.
Alasdair Gray: A Life in Progress
Using archive footage and new interviews – this feature length portrait of Scottish writer and artist Alastrair Gra looks utterly delightful. I’ve seen bits and pieces of Gray’s work (and no – not just his mural at Hillhead Subway station) so would love to find more about the man who describes himself as a “fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian.”
SHOWstudio: Fashion Film in the Digital Age
I am super excited about this guy because SHOWstudio are just everything. Set up by fashion photographer Nick Knight in 2000, SHOWstudio is all about delivering fashion as it happens. SHOWstudio have a stellar back catalogue – having worked with Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane and their head of fashion film, Marie Schuller, is coming to Glasgow to talk about fashion and how it’s changing in the digital age. Should be interesting to anyone with an interst in new media and fashion film.
In Search of Blind Joe Death: The Saga of John Fahey
I’m going to see this on the boys request. I was flicking (see:scrolling) down the brochure for GFF13 and he caught Fahey’s name. “Ho…ho…ho…we’ll be going to that.” And so we shall. Oft described at the folk equivelant of William Burroughs and influencing the likes of Chris Funk of the Decemberists this looks like a pretty solid documentary exploring the life of an eccentric guitarist. A little bit different from my usual fare but what’s a film festival for if you don’t see something you’re not familiar with – amirite?
About Face: Supermodels Then and Now
I should just be able to tell you Isabella Rosselini is in this being utterly fabulous and that should be enough of a reason to go see it. Exploring the process of ageing in a career entirley dependant on beauty, About Face is honest, charming and occasionaly dark and always entertaining.
Much Ado About Nothing
JOSS IS MY KING. Now that’s out the way I can try and begin to tell you
how excited I am about this. I’ve been following the progress of Joss
Whedon’s (yes Buffy, Doctor Horrible, Firefly and all that other good
stuff) cinematic adaptation of Shakephere’s classic. Filmed in his house
over the course of 12 days with some familiar faces (Amy Acker, Alexis
Denisof, Nathan Fillion) this guy looks nothing short of astounding. Oh
and Glasgow Film Festival totally has the U.K premier. There is no way
this will not be AMAZING. Added bonus of Joss coming to Glasgow which naturally crazy excited about (insert fangirl spew about how Buffy changed my life here.)
Obviously these are the guys that I’m going to make sure I see – by hook or by crook. That said there are a few other guys you should make an effort to creep. Rob Zombie’s new film The Lords of Salem makes it’s UK premier at GFF which looks like it will be utterly killer and the 50 Years of Doctor Who with Tom MacRae is deff on my to see list. Breaking The Frame – a portrait of artist and feminist Carolee Schneeman had caught my eye as well as a presentation of short films from Caroline Sascha Cogez (who’s previously worked as assistant director to Lars Von Trier on The Idiots, Dancer in the dark and Dogville.) The Cinema City Treasure Hunt looks like it will be really fun as well as Entre chien et loup (translating at between dog and wolf – the french expression for Twilight) sees GFF work with artist Henry Coombes to explore the magical space between art, film and live performance at Grand Central Hotel. The art exhibition will be followed by a ball themed around the Gold Ballroom scenes from The Shining so REALLY excited about that guy.
Obviously tickets are are available from Glasgow Film Theatre in person or via the site. Honestly I don’t think I’ll be far from the GFT for pretty much the entire of February.
Safe to say I think the trailer is easily the prettiest thing I ever did see.