Full programme announced for Glasgow Film Festival 2025

Glasgow Film Festival 2025 (GFF25) has announced the full programme for its 21st edition. Across 12 packed days, Scotland’s largest annual celebration of cinema will showcase 92 World, UK and Scottish premieres from 39 countries.

GFF25 will open on Wednesday 26 February with the Gala World premiere of tour-de-force survival thriller Tornado, the hotly-anticipated sophomore feature from Scottish director John Maclean. Set in the rugged landscape of 1790’s Britain, Tornado (played by model-songwriter Kōki) finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father’s travelling puppet show crosses paths with a ruthless criminal gang led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden).

In an attempt to create a new life, Tornado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold from the gang’s most recent heist; what follows is a thrilling tale of adrenaline-fueled action as Tornado fights to escape a violent demise. Lionsgate UK will release the film nationwide on Friday 23 May. 

The festival will then close on Sunday 9 March with the Gala World premiere of award-winning Scottish documentary maker Martyn Robertson’s Make It To Munich

GFF25 is also thrilled to welcome Glasgow-born Hollywood star James McAvoy for a special In Conversation event, looking back at his career.  

GFF is one of the leading film festivals in the UK and is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow Film Festival is made possible by support from Screen Scotland, Glasgow Life and Event Scotland. GFF would also like to extend thanks to the Glasgow 850 Festival Fund that helped make community outreach activity impactful by engaging children, young people and the wider community with the festival. 

Tickets for Opening and Closing Gala go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 22 January. Tickets for the full programme go on sale to GFT Cinecard holders at 10am on Thursday 23 January and on general public sale at 10am on Monday 27 January. Tickets are available online at the Glasgow Film Festival website, by calling 0141 332 6535 or in-person at the Glasgow Film Theatre Box Office.

World and European Premieres 

GFF25 will also host a special world premiere screening of the first episode of the major new Amazon thriller Fear, shot in Glasgow’s West End and starring GFF favourites Martin Compston, Solly Macleod and James Cosmo, ahead of its UK release later this year.  

Other world and international premieres include The Players, a 1990s coming-of-age drama about a teenage actor Emily, cast as the youngest member of an avant garde theatre production and Daniel V. Masciari’s debut feature Stationed at Home, following a small-city taxi driver in 1998 awaiting the sight of the International Space Station.

Still from The Return, which shows actors Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche with their foreheads touching. Ralph Fiennes is covered in cuts and bruises.

UK Premieres 

Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ben Foster and Colin Morgan lead in a star-studded adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which will receive its UK premiere at GFF25. Hollywood legend Jessica Lange will also take part in an exclusive In Conversation event, looking back at her six decades-long screen career, from King Kong and Tootsie to Rob Roy and American Horror Story.  

Other UK premieres include The Return, which sees The English Patient stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche reunite in a new version of Homer’s Odyssey; Luckiest Man In America, an engrossing game show thriller based on the true story of an ice-cream truck driver (Paul Walter Hauser) whose winning streak on 'Press Your Luck' threatens to bankrupt the production company, featuring terrific performances from Walter Goggins, David Strathairn and Shamier Anderson in support.

Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo shine in Tracie Laymon’s SXSW Audience-Award winner Bob Trevino Likes It, based on the true story of an unlikely facebook friendship and Stealing Pulp Fiction, a comedy heist film about three aspiring Hollywood friends plot to steal Quentin Tarantino's personal 35mm print.

Stories of real-life musical icons will also get their UK premieres at GFF25, with Peaches Goes Bananas, an intimate insight into the world of queer feminist icon Peaches shot over 17 years and ranging from her immersive high energy stage extravaganzas to her cherished quiet life, and Desire:The Carl Craig Story, which delves into Black American music history through the story of the Detroit techno legend. Another documentary highlight is the UK premiere of Homegrown by Michael Premo, an engrossing dive into the lives of three Donald Trump supporting patriots in the run-up to the 2020 election and its aftermath, which led to the US Capitol attack.

Still from Four Mothers, which shows four older women and a younger man gathered at a table together, looking at an iPad

Scottish Premieres  

GFF25 will see the first Scottish big screen outings for Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Middle Ages Scottish folk horror Harvest, shot entirely on location in Argyllshire and starring Caleb Landry Jones and Harry Melling; The End, starring Tilda Swinton, George Mackay and Michael Shannon in Joshua Oppenheimer’s (The Act of Killing) musical fantasy about a rich family sheltering from the end of the world in a converted salt mine

Glasgow’s own James McArdle getting a long-overdue leading man role in the charming feel-good comedy Four Mothers, starring as a Young Adult author and carer for his non-verbal mum Alma (Fionnula Flanagan) who’s friends all ditch him with their own mums so they can go party at Pride; Nicolas Cage bringing his trademark full-throttle intensity to The Surfer, a trippy psychological thriller about a dad who is pushed to the edge by local surfers when he returns to his beloved childhood beach with his son and an all-star line-up of US alt comedy stars, including Cole Escola, Sarah Sherman and Janeane Garofalo, feature in Julian Glander’s dreamy and surreal coming-of-age animation about a teenager in suburban Florida hustling to make $5000.  

GFF25 will host the Scottish premiere of major new Scotland-based filmmaking talent Laura Carreira’s On Falling, which picked up the prestigious Sutherland Award for Best Debut at London Film Festival 2024. Shot on location in Glasgow and Edinburgh and produced by Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films, On Falling is an honest and raw depiction of loneliness and the instability of the gig economy through the eyes of Portuguese warehouse picker Aurora.

Alongside the GFF25 Scottish premiere on 28 February, GFF will host special screenings of the film at partner cinemas across the UK including Barbican and BFI Southbank in London, Cameo in Edinburgh, Broadway in Nottingham, Chapter in Cardiff, Tyneside in Newcastle, Watershed in Bristol, Showroom in Sheffield, DCA in Dundee and Eden Court in Inverness.  ​​​

Still from Psyche, which shows a figure wearing a cloak standing in a desert landscape in front of a door, which is not attached to anything.

FrightFest  

The long-celebrated FrightFest returns for its 20th year at GFF and boasts 11 new feature films and seven short films spanning three continents and five countries. The programme unveils eight world premieres, two international premieres, five UK premieres and three Scottish premieres in a fear-fuelled Glasgow Film Theatre 6-8 March. 

GFF25 Audience Award Sponsored by MUBI 

Glasgow Film Festival’s longest standing Audience Award returns this year and will be given to an exceptional first or second time director. As always, the award is chosen by the most important people – the GFF audience.

Sponsored by MUBI, the ten-strong shortlist for the GFF25 Audience Award features:

  • Two to One an ensemble comedy following a trio of friends as they hatch a get-rich-quick scheme upon finding a trove of soon-to-be worthless banknotes and starring German A-lister Sandra Hüller;
  • Spilt Milk which explores the harsh realities of housing estate life and addiction through a child’s eyes in 1980s Dublin as we follow newcomers Cillian Sullivan and Naoise Kelly as 11 year-old Bobby and his friend Nell while they hunt for his missing brother;
  • The gripping and darkly comic domestic thriller debut Restless in which Jed Hart captures the psychological torment of sleep deprivation when a quiet life is shattered by new nightmare neighbours;
  • Elizabeth Lo’s Mistress Dispeller a fascinating documentary fresh from its success at Venice Film Festival and TIFF that sees undercover ‘mistress dispellers’ - a growing Chinese service - hired by cheated-on spouses to break-up marital affairs and get relationships back on track;
  • Mr. K a darkly comedic mindbender starring Crispin Glover as a magician who checks into a strange and decaying hotel full of odd residents before discovering he cannot leave;
  • Meat where roots of an ancient Greek tragedy evolve when a patriarch confronts a fateful decision after an enduring family feud escalates to murder in this tense thriller that had its world premiere at TIFF;
  • Silver Star from duo Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar that explores a budding female friendship in a robbery-gone-wrong road-trip drama;
  • Olga Korotko’s second feature and Locarno Golden Leopard nominee Crickets, It’s Your Turn a tense cat and mouse thriller that dissects the patriarchy and toxic masculinity;
  • Jianjie Lin’s impressive debut Brief History of a Family a thriller drama come-satire set in post one-child policy China;
  • and Marie-Claire Marcotte’s Neon Dreaming that follows 8-year-old Billie as she leans on her vivid imagination, and her loyal best friend Sherry, to unravel the web of secrets shrouding her mother's true identity. 

Community and Youth Takeovers  

Glasgow Film Festival Community Takeover Day is a fun-filled free cinema event, created with and for communities around Glasgow. Residents have attended the Community Planning Meet-Ups to select the film, food, and activities for the wider community to enjoy on Saturday 8 March. The Community Takeover is open to all age groups. 

The Glasgow Film Young Ambassadors will host the Glasgow Film Festival Youth Takeover. A free pop-up cinema event on Friday 28 February with activities and food for under-25s, all selected by the Young Ambassadors. This event will feature the film, Boys Go To Jupiter, a unique animation from the GFF programme. 

Both Takeovers are made possible with the support of the Glasgow 850 Festival Fund. The established GFF received £10,000 to add value to their festival offerings by including additional programming that can celebrate or showcase the richness and diversity of Glasgow talent, engage children and young people in the city and deliver community outreach activity. The Glasgow 850 Festival Fund is a £100,000 cultural fund launched as part of Glasgow's 850th celebrations in 2025. 

Allison Gardner, CEO of Glasgow Film and Director of GFF, said: “I cannot begin to say how excited I am by the brilliant programme we have curated, the breadth of films on offer genuinely has something for everyone. Everyone across Glasgow Film works very hard to make the magic happen and I cannot thank all my colleagues enough for their hard work, enthusiasm and sheer brilliance in making this not only a great festival to attend, but a friendly and supportive environment to work in.

"I shall be sad that this is my last festival as I’ve had so many magical moments over the years, but I know the great work we have done will ensure that audiences, filmmakers and industry colleagues will continue to support what I consider to be the best film festival in the world.” 

Isabel Davis, Executive Director at Screen Scotland said: “This year’s GFF programme is a very clear demonstration of the festival's importance to the local industry, connecting our films and talent to the rest of the world and introducing world-class cinema to audiences in Glasgow, across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Once again Scottish talent is strongly showcased throughout the programme including John Maclean’s Tornado, Laura Carreira’s On Falling and Glasgow-shot Fear, directed by Justin Chadwick, starring Martin Compston.

“This year marks the end of the tenure of powerhouse Glasgow Film leader Allison Gardner, after over three decades. Congratulations to Allison and her team on this fantastic edition and on her tremendous legacy that will be felt for decades to come at GFT.” 

The full festival programme will be available on the Glasgow Film Festival website. 


More information

Image credits

Header image: Still from Tornado, courtesy of GFF

Body images: Stills from The Return, Four Mothers and Psyche, courtesy of GFF