Glasgow Film Festival to open with Adura Onashile’s Girl

Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) will open its 2023 edition with Adura Onashile’s debut feature, the Glasgow-shot Girl, following its world premiere at Sundance.

The feature follows a woman named Grace (Divines star Déborah Lukumuena) and her 11-year-old daughter Ama (Le’Shantey Bonsu) as they try to build a new life in Glasgow after a traumatic past. Telling Ama to trust nobody, Grace is alarmed when Ama makes friends with a classmate.

Girl has backing from the BFI Film Fund, BBC Film and Screen Scotland, in association with Great Point Media.

The festival’s industry focus will run from March 6-9 and features a panel with Lauren Castro, senior director of adult animation for the MTV Entertainment Group at Paramount, who has previously held posts at DreamWorks Animation and Marvel Television.

Industry delegates will also have the opportunity to receive pitch training from the co-founders of My Smash Media, UK independent film producers Fiona Gillies and Christine Hartland. Their creative platform is designed to connect content creators with decision makers in film and TV.

Successful applicants to the training will be able to pitch their film or TV project ideas to a panel of industry experts, including Film4 development and production executive Alice Whittemore.

GFF’s 19th edition will run from March 1-12 at Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and other venues across the city. The full programme will be unveiled on January 25.

Allison Gardner, co-director of GFF, said: “I am delighted and honoured that we will open GFF with Adura Onashile’s Girl, a powerful and poignant feature debut set in Glasgow. I’m also very proud of the GFF team who have put together a brilliant and inspiring programme of events for the industry focus. Whilst I always knew that GFF was the place to see great films, now it is also the place for Industry professionals to come and listen, participate and network with their peers.”

Isabel Davis, executive director at Screen Scotland, added: “Adura Onashile’s debut feature is an exceptionally fine choice to open this year’s GFF. Set and made in Glasgow, this evocative and poignant examination of a mother-daughter relationship establishes Adura as a hugely exciting film talent. Screen Scotland is very glad to have been part of her journey, including through our support of Girl.”