Tickets for Everybody to Kenmure Street at GFT go on sale Monday
The full programme for the Glasgow Film Festival has been announced. This year’s festival opens with Felipe Bustos Sierra’s film Everybody to Kenmure Street in February and closes with the screening of James McAvoy’s new film California Schemin’ in March.
Still of film from Everybody to Kenmure Street showing the protest from above
By Devon McCole
After months of planning Glasgow is ready to host 126 selected films across 12 days during the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) 2026.
This year’s new head of programme, Paul Gallagher – who only just stepped into the role some months prior – took to the stage at the Glasgow Film Theatre yesterday, alongside returning programme manager, Chris Kumar, to announce this year’s programme.
From 25 February until 8 March selected venues across Glasgow will show what the organisers described as the best of Scottish filmmaking, with each film selected reflecting in some way the festival’s theme of Truth to Power.
New head of programme Paul Gallagher at the GFF 26 press launch | Photo by Devon McCole
“Community” said Paul “is such a common thread throughout a lot of the films being shown this year.”
It’s no wonder then, that the festival opens on 25 February with Felipe Bustos Sierra’s now finished documentary, Everybody to Kenmure Street, which was partly shown at the Docs-in-Progress Scotland Showcase at Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
The film celebrates the collective action of Southside residents and the standoff against Police Scotland in May 2021. Kenmure Street is now considered an iconic display of community solidarity that highlights the kindness of a community and the power of ordinary people who banded together for a common cause.
It’s a must-see for local residents, and incredibly exciting to see Glasgow’s 22nd Film Festival open with a film about the city’s most diverse neighbourhood organising to protect their neighbours from detention. The film itself speaks to some of the residents and activists who were there first-hand, and should be an insightful, uplifting and timely watch.
James McAvoy’s highly anticipated directorial debut from last year, California Schemin’, will show again on 8 March after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025. This biographical hip-hop film explores the true story of a Dundonian rap duo who faked being American in order to sell their records and be taken seriously by the industry – touching on themes of belonging and national identity.
Paul commented that this year’s festival features films that focus on similar ideas, with a couple of films exploring national identity through the lens of language: “I think it’s interesting that in this year’s programme we see films in both the Welsh language and Gaelic…It’s been really exciting to see the likes of KNEECAP over the past year igniting this revival of their native tongue and I think it’s so cool that we are kind of seeing that resurgence happening across the UK right now.”
Chris was keen to highlight GFF’s intention to stay true to its mission of supporting Scottish filmmaking across the board by showcasing small indie films as well as the more polished projects that reach them.
Welcome to G-Town, a b-movie inspired indie flick showing at this year’s festival, is a prime example of that according to Chris: “It’s this really low-budget, fun sci-fi film about an alien invasion set in Glasgow. When the filmmakers pitched it to us it really stood out even though it’s kind of rough around the edges…for us if we see there’s something really strong about their storytelling or stylisation, that tells us these are filmmakers to watch out for and support.”
Chris compared Welcome to G-town to Tummy Monster and Angry Young Men, films that have been shown in previous years at the festival.
Some of the bigger and more anticipated films hitting the screens this year are The Wizard of the Kremlin starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin; Couture, a film led by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie; plus two films starring the iconic Willem DaFoe; and Erupcja, a film led by popstar Charli XCX.
Scottish actor, writer and director Peter Mullan will also star in the new film, The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, as a history obsessed tour guide in Edinburgh who eventually descends into madness when a big budget TV show comes to town. Paul stated he’s been very excited to see Peter Mullan taking on such heavy hitting roles recently, and this film is bound to be no different.
It’s no secret Glasgow is often a city used as a popular filming location, a place where production companies outside of Scotland drop in and out of. It’s a nice change every year to see GFF highlight Scottish filmmaking at all levels, as well as the international films on show.
As always this year they will be showing a selection of classic films; this year it’s a run of Marilyn Monroe films – one of the cheapest ticketed events during the festival so that families or people on lower incomes can still join in what the organisers are calling the ‘Woodstock of film’. And two special showings; Moulin Rouge (2001) for its 25th anniversary and Carrie (1976). Both of these screenings will have themed dress codes – ‘extravagant’ and ‘prom’ themed – and are a bit pricier than the Monroe showings.
On how his first time ever as head of programme this year, Chris said: “I’m proud…this is what film is about. It’s about provoking. It’s about showing us ourselves. It’s about hugely entertaining us…But it’s also about pulling something from ourselves, our city, and then presenting it to the nation, to the world. I couldn’t really ask for more than that for a first edition.”
It’s always difficult to share a programme as packed as GFF’s but the whistlestop tour of events is promising. The full programme, including venues, dates and ticket prices is now available on their website.