James McAvoy to premiere directorial debut at Glasgow Film Festival

Hollywood star James McAvoy and director Mark Jenkin will be among the big names taking to the red carpet at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), which begins later this month.

The 22nd edition of the festival, which opens on February 25, will host 126 films in 12 days – including 12 world, European and international premieres, 68 UK premieres, and 18 Scottish premieres.

McAvoy, whose acting CV includes The Last King Of Scotland, Atonement and the X-Men franchise, will bring the festival to a close on March 8 with the UK premiere of his directorial debut California Schemin’.

The film tells the tale of two Scottish rappers who pretend to be an American rap duo to secure a record deal before the hoax unravels.

McAvoy will be joined on the red carpet by cast members Samuel Bottomley, Outlander star Seamus McLean Ross, and Paisley-born Lucy Halliday.

Interviewed about the film last year, McAvoy, who grew up in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow, said: “As a proud Glaswegian, I’m delighted to be premiering California Schemin’ as the closing night gala of the Glasgow Film Festival.

“We made our film in Glasgow and Dundee with the support of a phenomenal Scottish cast and crew, so it feels fitting that we bring it back home for its UK premiere.”

Scotland-based Chilean-Belgian director Felipe Bustos Sierra will attend the opening night of this year’s festival for the UK premiere of his documentary Everybody To Kenmure Street.

Other local names set to grace the red carpet include Bothwell twins Ben and Nathan McQuaid, who will be attending the world premiere of their directorial debut Welcome To G-Town, a micro-budget horror film set on location in Glasgow.

Poised to be an audience favourite at this year’s event, a third screening of the film had to be added to the programme after the first two quickly sold out.

Edinburgh filmmaker Sean Dunn will attend the UK premiere of his Edinburgh-filmed black comedy The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford.

Meanwhile, Glasgow-based novelist Bernard MacLaverty will grace the red carpet for the UK premiere of the film adaptation of his novel Midwinter Break, directed by Polly Findlay.

Other British filmmakers attending include Bafta-winning director Jenkin, who is returning this year for the Scottish premiere of his hotly-anticipated science fiction drama Rose Of Nevada.

Bafta-winning Stroma Cairns will be attending the Scottish premiere of The Sun And The Sea, while Bifa-winning directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard are returning to the festival for the Scottish premiere of Broken English, about British pop icon Marianne Faithfull.

Filmmakers set to attend from further afield include French screenwriter and director Alice Winocour for the UK premiere of the Angelina Jolie-led drama Couture, and Italian director Francesco Sossai, for the UK premiere of The Last One For The Road, which has been shortlisted for the festival’s audience award.

Other actors set to take to the red carpet include Call The Midwife star Natalie Quarry, for the UK premiere of Think Of England, and 16-year-old Woody Norman for the UK premiere of My Father’s Island.

The annual FrightFest horror film festival – known as the UK’s “Woodstock of gore” – also takes place within GFF, and will include the UK premiere of The Restoration Of Grayson Manor, attended by stars Chris Colfer and Alice Krige.

Acclaimed horror director and producer Neil Marshall, whose films include British horror classic The Descent, will be attending the world premiere of Red Riding.

GFF is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre.

Tickets for the full programme are available online at glasgowfilm.org, or at the box office at 12 Rose Street, Glasgow.