GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL
BEAUTIFUL IOONS
Any good film festival is made up of anomalies and oddbods. Paul Dale cherishes the best at this year’s GFF.
They say that one man's tripe IS another man's cavrar (they don‘t actually — I just made that up in order to Qualify what I'm goung to write next) but if you will allow me the superiority of knowledge. taste and breeding. I can guarantee you one thing. You wrll not find a better gurde through the madness of esoterica. arthouse and avant garde fare showing at this year's GFF. anywhere in Christendom. By ‘guide' what I actually mean is a one-person film festival jury. The award for Best Psychotic Western would go to John Hillcoat's poetic. blood-covered The Proposition. Best Headfuck award would be the Dardenne brothers' The Child. which, being about the tale of a couple who financially expl0it their baby. is a Virtual ‘how to' manual for white trash cultures.
Best fantasy film goes to Dave McKean‘s MirrorMask (pictured). a flawed but inventive ride through the mind of teenage girl. Best Film on a New Print is Melville‘s astounding 1969 French Re5istance drama Army of the Shadows. Best Weird as Shit Supernatural Thriller goes to Canadian Robin Aubert‘s Saints Martyrs Des Damne's which exlores what happens when a gutter press hack comes face to face wuth his worst Journalistic concoctions.
With the awards ceremony over I would hopefully be rebuked by those demanding gongs for TransAmerica. The Weather Man and Shooting Dogs and maybe they‘d be right. Experience has taught that no one likes either caviar or tripe but they welcome the oppOrtunity to find out the difference between the two.
I g/(ISgonfn‘nMust/valorg.t/k
THREE OTHER ODDS 8- ENDS NOT TO MISS
I Lobo - The Wolf Thrilling docudrama based on the story of an undercover agent for Franco‘s dictatorship in 19708 ~ Spain. who infiltrated Basque independence movement ETA, with dramatic results. GFT. Sat 78 Feb.
I Gypo Britain's first Dogme movie. this is the tale of white trash in Kent's strange Thanet region. GFT, Sun 79 Feb.
I Havana Blues Quirky SpanierCuban movie about two musicians and their desire to become famous. GFF. Sun 79 Feb.
20 THE LIST to Foo—J Ma' .3306
BLOOD SIMPLE
Craig Strachan, the writer/director of Wild Country, thinks everyone
should make films in Scotland. He did, and explains how and why.
‘ ou could makc films in Scotland. You could grow orangcs in Scotland. too. but thcy'd cost about fixc
pounds cach and thcy'd tastc Iikc potatocsf I
lil‘sl cainc across [Ills qtltilc in thc Iatc 80s. I
forgct who said it. but I was an aspiring
filmtnakcr (I still am) and I must hayc takcn it to Itcart bccausc I Icft Scotland to go to fiItn
school and thcn scrabblcd around as a
journcyman scriptw'ritcr in London and I.os
Angclcs. ('ut to ()ctobcr of 200]. I hayc just Itcard dcfinitiycly that I'nitcd Artists will not makc thc romantic comcdy I hayc bccn dcycloping thct'c. I dccidc that I hatc all romantic conicdics for thc comforting Iics thcy pcddlc. and all studio dcyclopmcnt cxccutiycs for much thc sanic rcason. I also hayc to admit to myscIf that I'm just not that good with Amcrican charactcrs and storics. I dccidc to writc somcthing sct in Scotland. with Scots charactcrs who spcak with Scots acccnts. I channcl my homcsickncss and my childhood onc of thc horror gcnrc into thc script. I finish thc first draft of II'i/i/ ('uimtry in a w'cck and scnd it to Ros Borland and ('athcrinc .»\itkcn at (iabricl Films in (ilasgow. 'I‘hcy Iikc it and start to raisc thc moncy. 'I‘hcy gct thc script to Martin ('ompston and I’ctcr (‘apaldr who agrcc to attach. 'I‘hcy raisc about half thc budch bctwccn priyatc Imcslot‘s and a saIc-and- Icascback schcmc. 'I‘hcy approach thc Usual public-funding stispccts for thc rcst and gct knockcd back. I am disappointcd btit not surpriscd. I figurc no onc should cxpcct to makc a film with public funds. and a full-on horror gorcfcst is probably not thc casicst funding choicc to justify. \Vc arc stumpcd in our scarch for thc rcst of thc moncy. A ycar gocs by. Thcn w'c hcar that Richard Jobson madc a film in Iidinburgh for about {500.000. and anothcr onc iii (ilasgow for not much morc. \Vc dccidc to go for it with thc moncy w'c hayc. Wc round out our cast with tcrrific
(ilasgow-arca tccnagc actors. mostly non- profcssionals. Wc shoot digitally. mostly on location. for 30 days about half of tlicni cxtcrior nights. Iii Noycmbcr. In Scotland. \Vc cxpcct schcduIc-busting wind and rain. but it ncycr comcs. 'I'hc Scottish w'cathcr is mcrcifully cIcmcnt. 'I'hc ow'ncrs of locations arc cxtrcmcly coopcratiyc. 'I'hc (ilasgow—arca L‘t‘cw' is L‘nlItllsiaslic. skiIch and quick. \Vc wrap on schcdulc and on btidgct. I’ost- production is bascd in (ilttsgow. with local facilitics housc Sayalas doing its a fantastic dcaI on thc sound mix.
'I‘hc finishcd film has a strong Scottish idcntity. and has playcd chI to intcrnational Icstiyal audicnccs. I am proud that I-‘rightl'cst and thc (iIasgow I5ilm I'cstiyal arc now bringing Iii/(l ('nmilry homc. with a Scottish cincttta rcIcasc to follow. And I fccl surc that thc film I madc in Scotland is not an orangc that cost £5 and tastcs Iikc a potato. 'I‘Iic film I madc in Scotland is morc Iikc a potato that cost about 50p and tastcs Iikc a potato. And w'ha' disnac Iikc tattics‘.’
GFT, Sat 18 Feb and on selected release from Fri 24 Feb. See review, page 41.
THREE OTHER HORROR FLICKS NOT TO MISS
I Beeker British premier of the supernatural slasher in which five strangers get trapped in a desert motel on the way to a rave. GFF. Sat 78 Feb. I Ouija Board Ring-style South Korean horror flick centered around an abused Ouija board. GFI', Sat 78 Feb.
I Night of the Living Dead The first and. to many. the best of Romero's undead flicks gets a Midnight Movie screening. Cinewor/d Renfrew Street, Fri 77 Feb.