Scotland’s only film festival dedicated to the work of womxn directors has released its complete programme for its 2020 edition. Femspectives, or the Glasgow Feminist Film Festival, will screen an exciting array of international talent from Burkina Faso to New Zealand and anywhere in between. The programme runs between the 20th and 23rd of February at Civic House in Scotland’s most populous city, broadening the horizons of female-led led film in the UK.

The festival will open with the striking ensemble drama Vai, a collaboration between nine Pacific directors to tell the story of one woman played by several indigenous actors throughout her life. The film was shot across seven Pacific countries; each director has her own ancestral connection to the land through which to tell her story and keep disappearing traditions alive.

A little closer to home, the festival will close with a night called Made in Scotland, an illuminating showcase of work by Scottish directors including Raisah Ahmad and Alison piper. Other programme highlights include Sung-A Yoon’s documentary Overseas, an empathetically portrayed journey of Filipina women training to do domestic work abroad, and Lindy Heymann’s I Told My Mum I Was On an R.E Trip, inspired by interviews exploring issues around abortion.

The programme is oriented around three main strands: “It’s Complicated, a deep-dive into the complex and nuanced experiences of the relationships womxn have with one another, Collective Memory: Trauma & Nation, stories that explore the power of memory, and Autonomy, films of different personal struggles, enquiring into what happens when the right to self-determination is reclaimed” (courtesy of the press release).

Co-founders and producers of Femspectives Lauren Clarke and Kathi Kamleitner have expressed their excitement for the 2020 programme: “There is a tangible interest in supporting the work of womxn and engaging with feminist content, and we are very happy to be one of many organisations providing these opportunities to Glasgow audiences.”

For full programme details and tickets, head to the Femspectives website!

by Megan Wilson