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This year’s Glasgow Film Festival will feature an y Hepburn retrospective
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As the fifth Glasgow Film Festival and the third Middle Eastern Film Festival set out their stalls, there's nothing bleak about this midwinter for lovers of international cinema, as Paul Dale discovers
cbruary used to be particularly
problematic For the Scottish-based
lilm obsessive. With the Rotterdam. Berlin and Sundance l'estivals running back to back from the end ol‘ January through February. it used to seem like the whole world was getting to watch great l‘ilms while we rotted in the wet. awaiting the launch of lidinburgh‘s programme. It‘s been l‘ive years now since the (ilasgow Film Festival ((iFF) breached that void with a little bit of funding and a lot ol‘ good will. while over in lidinburgh the excellent Middle liastern Film Festival (MliFFl is now celebrating its third anniversary.
Both t‘estivals have shown a year on year
rise in ambition and scope. This year the MliFF will. according to the organisers. locus on mapping the changing and evolving character ol‘ Iranian cinema‘ with signilicant works. new and old. The (EFF is similarly l'ull ol‘ rare delights. The full programme was still to be launched at time of going to press but we can confirm that as well as Audrey Hepburn and new Mexican cinema retrospectives there‘s a least of new European titles. Palme D'Or winner The Class among them. alongside anticipated world titles such as (‘upv No 7. Still Hit/king and [Jill/(1‘3 Birthday. For those of a patriotic bent there’s a focus on all things Scottish in the Great Scots strand
(sponsored by The I.l.\'ll. which l'eatures Richard Jobson's th‘lt‘ 'lim'n Killers plus The Dungeon Moor Killings. There‘s also a new Music and Film section with events at King Tut‘s and The Arches. Plus. don't forget The list Surprise Movie on Saturday Zl February. So take a tip from Lennon and McCartney — ‘turn down the light / come in out of the cold / step inside love’. February is all about the movies.
Glasgow Film Festival, Thu 12—Sun 22 Feb. Full programme available at www.glasgowfiImfestival.org.uk from Thu 22 Jan. Middle Eastern Film Festival, Sat 31 Jan-Thu 19 Feb. Visit www.mesp.org.uk for details.
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HMV. co.uk
MAMA GROUP P LC have announced the creation of a new joint venture business with HMV. the UK's leading retailer of music, DVD. games and books. MAMA Group will dispose of its interests in a number of subsidiary operating companies to make a new venture. Mean Fiddler Group Limited (MFG).
PRINAL SCREAM will play this year’s SXSW, which takes place in Austin, Texas, from 18-22 Mar. The band will headflne alongside Sandi Thom, Dananan- anaykroyd, Astrid Williamson, Flood of Red, FOUND, Nacional, and Come On Gang!
Fl? 0 M COltONATlON
s T R E E T to Glasgow's mean streets, Charles Lawson - aka Jim ‘Corrie' McDonald - is set to take headlining duties at the Citz next month, in their production of Willy Russell's, Educating Rita. Emma Cunnifte will play the title role of Rita.
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GLASGOW COMEDY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINE-UP
I Continuing his fine efforts from last year's Fringe, Tommy Sheppard returns with a line-up of household name rib-ticklers for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in March. Jimmy Carr, Rob Brydon, Ross Noble, Clive James, Ardal O‘Hanlon and Paul Merton head the line-up of this year‘s funfest, which boasts 370 shows spread across 51 venues over 18 days. See www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com.
BOOKISH DELIGHTS 200,000 copies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World will be distributed free via libraries in February and March. A biography of Darwin’s life, with Wallace and Gromit artwork will also be
available, introducin his evolutiont eories. lostworldreadcom.
See Books, page 29.
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