Scots-born Hollywood director Michael Caton-Jones is to headline the second edition of the Partick Film Festival.
The film-maker responsible for blockbusters such as Rob Roy, Memphis Belle, This Boy’s Life and Doc Hollywood, is appearing at a special ‘In Conversation’ event with host, broadcaster and journalist Paul English, to discuss his incredible career working with the biggest names in Hollywood and making movies for more than 35 years.
The festival launch night will see a special Goodfellas Movie & Meal night held at the West Side Tavern in Partick, celebrating the classic gangster film’s legendary cooking scenes.
The heart of the Partick Film Festival is community events, and the organisers are delighted to be staging free drama workshops and kids events as well as short film screenings, hosted by actor Atta Yaqub at the Kelvin Hall.
Special event
Scots screenwriter and lecturer Stuart Hepburn, who has worked on television shows such as Taggart, Hamish Macbeth, River City and many others, will take part in a special event celebrating film and TV writing at Partick Library.
The Partick Film Festival runs from Monday January 27 to Saturday February 1 2025 with many of the events held across a range of venues also free to attend.
Festival founder and producer, Joseph McLean set up the event to bring movie magic to his local area.
Joseph McLean said: “Partick has a really strong film and TV heritage, and as someone who was born and bred here, it’s exciting to get the chance to bring the community together to enjoy the best screen stories together.
“When I was growing up I went to Partick Library, the Kelvin Hall and the Grosvenor Cinema every week. I went to the Saturday morning kids club at the Grosvenor with all the other weans from Partick, so to bring the festival here is really special.
“I want to bring the film industry to Partick with a mix of big name events, community screenings and workshops.
Partick has a really strong film and TV heritage, and as someone who was born and bred here, it’s exciting to get the chance to bring the community together to enjoy the best screen stories together.
Joseph McLean
“Our nonprofit organisation’s ethos is to have events that are free of charge, in order to give everyone an opportunity to access the festival. We can do this thanks to the support of the Partick & Thornwood Ideas Fund and from our sponsors.”
Festival founder Joseph, said he is particularly looking forward to bringing Michael Caton-Jones to Glasgow’s West End.
In an incredible career, Broxburn-born Caton-Jones’ film work includes Scots epic Rob Roy, wartime adventure Memphis Belle, Michael J. Fox comedy Doc Hollywood and helping launch the career of Leonardo DiCaprio in the Robert De Niro-starring drama This Boy’s Life. He also made iconic British drama Scandal, Bruce Willis action film The Jackal and reunited with De Niro for crime thriller City by the Sea.
Michael Caton-Jones said: ‘’I’m delighted to be appearing at the Partick Film Festival, I know how passionate Joseph is about his home town of Partick and for his profession, so what better way to combine them than with the festival.”
Joseph McLean said: ‘’It’s an honour to have a Hollywood legend like Michael Caton-Jones headlining our next Partick Film Festival. Michael has worked with some of the biggest names in the business and he has great stories to share from his career.”
The Partick Film Festival was launched in 2024, featuring a special In Conversation event with Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison, hosted by broadcaster and writer Paul English at Partick Library.
This was followed by a Short Film Showcase hosted by Atta Yaqub at the Kelvin Hall, a short film event at The Annexe in Partick and a kids drama workshop hosted by Halo Arts at Partick Library.
Joseph said: “The idea behind the festival is to bring film and TV events to the area and help remove any barriers for accessing the festival or the industry, and to encourage people to engage with the festival.
“We hope to keep growing as an annual festival, with a view to having even more events taking place next year with film screenings, events and talks with actors and film-makers.”
For further information, please contact partickfilmfestival@gmail.com, or visit partickfilmfestival.com
