The Radical Film Network Scotland is an innovative film festival being held in Glasgow over the course of the May Day weekend (29th Apr – 2nd May). It will host a range of films, filmmakers and activities exploring politics and filmmaking, in a variety of venues all over the city.
The festival is an offshoot of the Radical Film Network, and will engage with the long radical political tradition in the city, as well as the newer tradition in the city of using unconventional spaces to show films outside the mainstream.
The event has been coordinated by David Archibald, a lecturer in Film Studies at Glasgow University who has published extensively on film in academic journals and the press, and Frances Higson, who has produced films including Orphans and The Magdalene Sisters, helped set up Camcorder Guerillas, and has recently made an award-winning documentary on Govanhill Baths, United We Will Swim…Again, which will be screening at that venue.
Frances Higson’s United We Will Swim…Again
As well as the screenings, the festival will comprise many social events, including a daily Unconference, allowing filmmakers, activists and academics to meet and discuss aspects of radical filmmaking. Why an ‘Unconference’? Archibald was keen to escape the ivory tower that can be constructed when academics gather together to indulge in arcane discourse, and wanted to keep the discussion open to all. He said:
“I thought that Glasgow would be the perfect place to host the festival. This is a city with a proud radical tradition in terms of both culture and politics and in the last decade or so there has been a blossoming of an alternative film culture. Long-standing grassroots organisations like Document Human Rights Film Festival and Camcorder Guerrillas have more recently been joined by a whole host of festivals and organisations involved in both alternative film production and exhibition. This seemed to be the perfect time to bring them together in one festival in an attempt to foster new and develop existing connections.
“That it could take place alongside an unconference which gathered together activists and academics from Scotland, the UK and beyond was an additional attraction. Initially I envisaged it being quite a small affair, but it has grown and grown and it now promises to be a major event in the city over the holiday weekend. I’ve been involved in a lot of activity over the years, but this has been hugely exciting. There’s a great energy in grassroots film culture in the city at the moment and it’s fantastic to be a part of it. ”
Certainly, there’s a diverse range of work on offer, from videos made by blacklisted workers about their dodgy bosses, a group cycle to a discussion of cycling in cinema, screenings in local film lover’s homes, and screenings of avant-garde work by such legendary figures as Jean-Luc Godard and Jean Genet. Radical here can be interpreted as radical in form, as well as in politics.
Certainly, there’s a diverse range of work on offer, from videos made by blacklisted workers about their dodgy bosses, a group cycle to a discussion of cycling in cinema, screenings in local film lover’s homes, and screenings of avant-garde work by such legendary figures as Jean-Luc Godard and Jean Genet. Radical here can be interpreted as radical in form, as well as in politics.
Jean Genet’s Un Chant d’Amour
Higson commented: ““I think the Radical Film Network Festival is exciting because it is bringing together so many different kinds of people and organisations from all corners of the city under the one umbrella. No one person has ‘curated’ this festival – this is the work of many people and organisations with varied interpretations of what radical film is.
“What is becoming ever more clear is that film is not just for mainstream cinemas, nor is it an isolated experience at home – communities are creating their own cinemas, film is being watched, worked with, discussed and utilised in many interesting and radical ways all over the country. This festival is a taster for what film can be, how it can be seen and what kind of discussions it can begin.”
Indeed, the social events around the festival sound as intriguing as the films themselves, with nightly “Fail Again” cabaret at the STUC, and a May Day Love Music Hate Racism gig at the QMU, with KILTR favourites Machines in Heaven and special guests.
Look out for interviews with some of the filmmakers and organisations affiliated with the Radical Film Network soon.
Radical Film Network Scotland 