ReelScotland round-up 🎬 July 2024
EIFF programme, 48 hours in the Highlands and Phoenix for sale
Welcome to the ReelScotland round-up, a look at what’s happening in Scottish film and TV. If you work in the Scottish screen sector or enjoy films and TV with a Scottish connection, this is for you.
🎞️ The full programme for this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, running from 15th-21st August, is now online and no doubt already familiar to many reading this newsletter. The Cameo seems to be the only cinema showing films this year, with pop-up venues also participating. The Skinny has a handy What’s On guide if you’re still mulling over the programme.
🔵 The first 48 Hour Film Project to take place in Inverness has been won by the city’s Hepburn family with their short, Hoops. Parents Kim and Neil joined children Robin and Romy to make the film about two competitive hula-hoopers battling it out for the world record, as detailed in The Inverness Courier.
🍿 The team behind the revival of Edinburgh Filmhouse, which is set to reopen after securing £1.4m in UK government funding, has signed a 25-year lease for the Lothian Road building. In addition, the BBC notes that award-winning director Charlotte Wells and actor Jack Lowden have been announced as patrons for the cinema.
📽️ If you have £275,000 going spare then you might be interested to know that The Oban Phoenix Cinema has been put up for sale following its closure in May, according to the Press & Journal. The cinema struggled with declining attendance and rising costs post-COVID-19, leading to its insolvency and the redundancy of its eight staff members.
🍿 Glasgow Film Theatre's August programme will include a visit from Irish-language rap band Kneecap, a Béla Tarr retrospective, a season devoted to the work of director John Sayles, and three special screenings in memory of the legendary actor Donald Sutherland.
🎬✨ Registration is open for Screen Fringe, a free service by Screen Scotland and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. It connects film and TV professionals with Fringe talent, offering networking, show curation, and industry events. Highlights include talks from BBC Drama and Film4, focusing on transitioning stage talent to screen.
🎞️ Scottish screen companies are being encouraged to take part in Scottish EDGE, Scotland's biggest business funding competition, offering grants and loans from £10,000 to £100,000. A free webinar will be delivered on Wednesday 7th August for those interested in applying.
🍿 Cineworld is closing its cinema in Parkhead, Glasgow, following a decline in audiences and the rise of streaming services. Daily Business reports that Cineworld denies that a further 19 cinemas could close around the UK.
🎭 The Edinburgh Fringe kicks off this week and there are several film-related productions on offer, including Chris Thorburn: Cineman, Charlie Chaplin’s Late-Night Cinema and All Eyes and Ears, in which “you will learn everything about the mysterious and powerful relationship between music and cinema.”
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