BAFTA-winning Glaswegian writer-director Lynne Ramsay will receive the Cinema City Honorary Award at Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) on Friday 6 March at a special In Conversation event, From Page to Pulse.
The filmmaker, who grew up in Maryhill, made her feature film debut in 1999 with the Glasgow-shot Ratcatcher, which won the prestigious BAFTA for Outstanding Debut. Throughout the last three decades Lynne has become renowned for her distinctive visual style and powerful storytelling, having directed Hollywood titles that include We Need to Talk About Kevin, Die My Love, and You Were Never Really Here.
The event, part of the festival’s annual Industry Focus strand, will see the director take a deep dive into her unparalleled approach to adaptation, spanning writers from Alan Warner to Ariana Harwicz, and her unique methods of translating literary material into profoundly visual, emotionally charged cinema. The conversation will be hosted by BAFTA-nominated Glasgow filmmaker Adura Onashile (Girl).
Tickets to the event will go on public sale at 12.40pm on Tuesday 24 February. In addition to the public tickets, all Industry Focus passholders can attend the event with their industry pass.
Launched in 2024, GFF’s Cinema City Honorary Award recognises filmmakers who have made an outstanding contribution to cinema. In the 1930s, Glasgow was home to more cinemas per person than anywhere else in the UK and became affectionately known as the Cinema City. Glasgow’s passion for film has burned brightly ever since, with Glasgow Film Theatre at its heart.
Previous recipients of the award are three-time Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen and homegrown Hollywood star James McAvoy. McAvoy will also appear at GFF26, treading the red carpet at the festival’s closing gala for the UK premiere of his directorial debut, California Schemin'.
Paul Gallagher, GFF Head of Programme, said: “Lynne Ramsay is one of a very small number of filmmakers who have the seemingly miraculous power of taking a unique vision in their minds and creating it onscreen exactly as they imagined. Her films have changed our understanding of what cinema can do and be. We are delighted to recognise her genius by giving her Glasgow Film Festival’s highest honour with this year’s Cinema City Award.”
Samantha Bennett, Glasgow Film Festival Industry Manager, said: “It is a true honour to welcome a homegrown talent of Lynne’s calibre to the Industry Focus programme. We know her talk will be an inspiring moment for the Scottish industry as an opportunity to not only to hear her insights, but to celebrate her outstanding contribution to cinema.”
GFF’s Industry Focus will return for its 11th edition from 2 to 6 March, expanding to five days across two venues. The conference welcomes international screen professionals to Glasgow, alongside showcasing the world-class talent working in the city.
Industry Focus will bring together TV and film professionals from across the UK, Europe and worldwide for a packed programme of panel discussions, networking events and screenings covering topics critical to the screen sector.
The 22nd edition of GFF will take place between 25 February and 8 March, hosting 126 films across 12 days, including 16 World, European and International premieres, 68 UK premieres, and 18 Scottish premieres, with titles from 44 countries and six continents.
GFF is Scotland’s flagship film festival and is run by Glasgow Film, a charity which also runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT). The festival is made possible by support from Screen Scotland and the BFI Audience Projects Fund, both awarding National Lottery funding, and Glasgow Life, the charity which delivers culture, events and active living in Glasgow.