Beat the January Blues with this West End annual celebration of film

Film festival Glasgow 2025 – It’s all happening January in Partick…
January 2024 was the inaugural Partick Film Festival. And such was it’s success, it’s making a welcome return!
Behind the event is Festival Director Joseph McLean. Joseph is a Scottish film maker, producer and director, running his own production company, Partickular Films. So knows a thing or two about film. He had been keen to launch a local film festival for a number of years. In 2024 the time seemed right.
If You Build It They Will Come
Joseph says ‘We had made a short film “Car Sick” which had been doing really well worldwide. It had won a number of awards at film festivals in the UK, the USA…” In fact the film won ‘The Rising Voices Award’ at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as being screened to critical acclaim around the globe.
Attending the festivals only added to Joseph’s conviction of putting on a festival here in the West End. And come the beginning of 2024 his dream was realised. With funding from the Partick and Thornwood Ideas Fund – through the National Lottery, Joseph was able to secure and book venues including Partick Library and Kelvinhall. The festival events were free to attend. Even though this was the festival’s first year, the events were attended to capacity, further affirming to Joseph the love of film in the local community.

After All, Tomorrow is Another Day
So that was 2024. What does Partick Film Festival 2025 have in store? This year as well as film screenings, there are kids drama workshops, screenwriting masterclasses and even a Q&A session with film director Michael Caton Jones at the Grosvenor Cinema. The film screenings at Kelvinhall run on Thursday and Friday night. With some fantastic short films from Scotland and beyond, it’s a chance to champion small, independent film makers. One such screening will be from RIG Arts in Inverclyde. The company are a socially engaged film and arts charity who have children and young people bringing film to the screen. With short films and documentaries screening, it’s a fantastically full week of events. There’s even a silent film-themed disco at Mansfield Park. Yes, it’s January, but when your throwing your moves to marvellous movie tracks, who’ll notice the cold?

And, apart from the Grosvenor Cinema event, the tickets are, yet again, free. Joseph explains why making the event free is so important to him. ‘It just removes barriers,’ he says. ‘Attendees still need to book tickets, but they are free to all.’ Partick Library and Kelvinhall are proud hosts of these events and Joseph is delighted by their continued involvement. The Partick Film Festival is steadfastly grounded in the community, in the people of the West End. For apart from the enjoyment of cinema, the festival has a purpose.
We’ll Always Have…
‘Everybody comes to film in different ways’ says Joseph ‘Some are self taught, some have qualifications.’ The drama workshops, masterclasses and screenings during the festival support Joseph’s view: film is for all, is accessible to all.
Joseph hopes to have the festival as an annual event. The future is looking bright for film in the West End. Let’s hope, in the immortal words of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, we’ll always have Pa…rtick Film Festival!
For more information on this free film festival in Glasgow 2025 visit Partick Film Festival and book your tickets now!
Partick Film Festival – For Tickets
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