Film LISTINGS Discovery Film Festival
Back for its ninth year, the annual Discovery Film Festival will be enticing young audiences into the DCA for films, workshops and general merriment spread over three weekends. The festival kicks off with the UK premiere of Alfie the Little Werewolf (Sat 20 Oct) – the tale of a boy who undergoes a strange transformation on his seventh birthday. There’s also an accompanying mask-making workshop to really get you in the mood. What’s more, both events are free. ■ Discovery Film Festival, DCA, Dundee, Sat 20 Oct–Sun 4 Nov.
20–Sat 27 Oct. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. The Dwarf Magician (tbc) (Christoph Engel, Germany, 1960) 73min. German fairy tale story. Part of Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 27 Oct. Part of Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Excision (18) (Richard Bates Jr., US, 2012) AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter. 81min. A disturbed high school student, keen to win the approval of her domineering mother, goes to extreme lengths to get a career in medicine. Based on the director’s own short, this features an eclectic cast peppered with cult stalwarts. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 28 Oct. Part of Dundead. Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival (tbc) Now in its tenth year, the EMFF continues to celebrate the best aspects of mountain culture, and the high quality filmmaking that goes along with it. The principle focus throughout the programme is adventure, whether it be skiing, snowboarding, base jumping, mountain biking, kayaking or exploration. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 26–Sun 28 Oct.
✽ EdinDocs A tribute to the art of independent documentaries which, along with screenings, offers prizes for best short and best feature. The festival is sponsored by the National Library of Scotland, which will preserve the winning docs as part of its Scottish Screen Archive. Cameo, Edinburgh, Fri 19–Sun 21 Oct. See preview below. Excision (18) (Richard Bates Jr., US, 2012) AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter. 81min. A disturbed high school student, keen to win the approval of her domineering mother, goes to extreme lengths to get a career in medicine. Based on the director’s own short, this features an eclectic cast peppered with cult stalwarts. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 28 Oct. Part of Dundead. Female Trouble (18) (John Waters, US, 1974) Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce. 89min. The late, legendary Divine stars as a spoiled schoolgirl who runs away from home, gets pregnant and
76 THE LIST 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012
becomes a model for a pair of beauticians who photograph women committing crimes. It will surprise no one that this is directed by John Waters. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 2 Nov. Part of Glasgay! Future Shorts 90min. An international initiative offering a monthly showcase of the finest short films from around the world. Inspace, Edinburgh, Sat 20 Oct. George Garson: Scope (tbc) An episode of the 1970s BBC series Scope focusing on the work of visionary Scottish mosaic artist and former head of the GSA’s Murals and Stained Glass department. The film shows him at work on the Grangemouth mural designed by Alan Davie. Screening ties in with the Garson retrospective at the Park Gallery, Falkirk, and is introduced by mosaic artist Dugald MacInnes and Executive Director of the Saltire Society, Jim Tough. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, Wed 7 Nov. Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods (tbc) (Patrick Meaney, US, 2010) Jason Aaron, Abigail Bader, Amber Benson. 80min. Documentary taking a look at influential writer Grant Morrison and discovering the philosopher and chaos magician behind the comics. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Fri 26 Oct. The Gruffalo’s Child (U) (Uwe Heidschötter, Johannes Weiland, UK/ Germany, 2011) Helena Bonham Carter, Shirley Henderson, Robbie Coltrane. 27min. Star-studded follow-up. A young Gruffalo goes in search of the Big Bad Mouse, despite warnings from her father. Also featuring other stories. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 21 Oct– Sat 3 Nov; The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, Sat 20 Oct. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. Halloween (18) ●●●●● (John Carpenter, US, 1978) Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Loomis, PJ Soles. 91min. The first and best of the series – and one of the best of all slasher movies. Escaped psycho Michael Myers returns to the town where he killed his sister several years before and picks up where he left off with remarkable ease. Pleasence is the obsessive psychiatrist on his trail, convinced he is to blame for the escape. A scary reminder of what a blood-soaked genre could achieve if only it recovered from sequelitis. Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Wed 31 Oct. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (15) (Tommy Lee Wallace, US, 1982) Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O’Herlihy. 98min. No Michael Myers as the series takes a brief detour into a creepy world of cursed Halloween masks and a plan to kill the kids of America. Part of Edinburgh Zombie Club’s Halloween Night. The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh, Wed 31 Oct. Haunted Academy (Nerawareta Gakuen) (tbc) (Ryôsuke Nakamura, Japan, 2012) Mayu Watanabe, Yûtarô Honjô. Adapted from Taku Muyumura’s 1970s sci-fi children’s novel, this animé film follows Ryoichi Kyogoku, a new high school student, and his attempts to take over the skill using his odd telepathic powers. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sat 27 Oct. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. Hit So Hard (tbc) (P David Ebersole, US, 2011) Patty Schemel, Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson. 103min. The story of Patty Schemel, the gay drummer from Courtney Love’s rock band Hole. From her small- town childhood she dreamt of the big time. When she hit it so hard it almost killed her. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 21 Oct. Part of Glasgay! I Am (tbc) (Sonali Gulati, US/India, 2011) 75min. This documentary on gay families living in India follows the return of a lesbian filmmaker to her home in Delhi. There she confronts the loss of her mother and considers the meaning of family with other LGBT Indians. CCA, Glasgow, Tue 30 Oct. Part of Glasgay! I Am Eleven (tbc) (Genevieve Bailey, 2011) 93min. This globe-trotting documentary sheds light on the experiences of 11-year-olds from 15 countries and examines the differences and similarities of their stories. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 28 Oct; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 4 Nov. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. I, Anna (tbc) (Barnaby Southcombe, UK/Germany/France, 2012) Charlotte
Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell. 93min. Rampling plays the eponymous Anna in this thriller from debut feature director Southcombe. After meeting a man at a speed dating night, she struggles to remember what happened next. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 23 Oct; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 22 Oct. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Indie Game: The Movie (tbc) (Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky, US, 2012) Jonathan Blow, Phil Fish, Edmund McMillen. 94min. Documentary exploring the work and lives of indie game developers as they create games and unleash them upon the world. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 4 Nov. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. Jacquot de Nantes (PG) ●●●●● (Agnès Varda, France, 1991) Brigitte de Villepoix, Daniel Dublet, Philippe Maron. 118min. Director Jacques Demy made the 60s’ classics ‘Lola’ and ‘Les Parapluies de Cherbourg’; here we see the life behind the celluloid images in a fictionalised documentary based on his early life, filmed by his wife Agnes Varda. An unsentimental account of a creative talent and an evocative portrait of his times. Institut Français d’Ecosse, Edinburgh, Wed 7–Thu 8 Nov. Showing as part of The Universe of Jacques Demy Retrospective. Kauwboy (10+) (Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands, 2012) Rick Lens, Loek Peters, Cahit Ölmez. 81min. A 10-year-old boy brings home a jackdaw, much to his father’s annoyance. The boy’s friendship with the bird helps him cope with his father’s aggressive moods. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 21 Oct–Sat 3 Nov. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. Lock Up Your Daughters: Queer Short Film Weekend (tbc) A showcase of shorts from homegrown young talents. Followed by a drinks reception and the chance for filmmakers to mingle. Music provided by the Lock Up Your Daughters DJs. CCA, Glasgow, Fri 2–Sat 3 Nov. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 26 Oct. Part of Edinburgh Independent and Radical Book Fair. Living With Labels & Powered By People (tbc) A screening of two short films looking at life with mental illness, followed by a panel discussion. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 22 Oct. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Local Talent (tbc) A selection of films from up-and-coming local talent. Followed by a reception with music from the LUYD DJs and free drinks from Fyne Ales. Part of the Lock Up Your Daughters – Queer Shorts Weekend. CCA, Glasgow, Fri 2 Nov. Part of Glasgay! Laurence Anyways (15) (Xavier Dolan, Canada, 2012) Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye. 168min. Xavier Dolan’s follow-up to Heartbeats follows a man who, when he announces on his 30th birthday that he’s to become a woman, his girlfriend promises to support. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 27 Oct. Part of Glasgay! Margaret Tait: Film Poet (tbc) Documentary film by Glasgow Women’s Library, working with filmmakers Marissa Keating and Michael Jones, documenting the life of the influential filmmaker and poet Margaret Tait. La Mascarade Bond (tbc) Bond- inspired masked evening ball full of live entertainment, a casino ‘Royale’ and some special surprises. Dress code is strictly formal (think glitz, glamour and tuxedos), and masks are mandatory! Counting House, Edinburgh, Fri 9 Nov. Mommie Dearest (15) (Frank Perry, US, 1981) Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest. 129min. Based on the infamous exposé by Joan Crawford’s daughter, this almost ended Dunaway’s career. She plays the mentally abusive matriarch, dragging up two adopted children she’s collected to fill a void in her life. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 20 Oct. Part of Glasgay!