A CELEBRATION of director Bill Forsyth will be the centrepiece of this year's Outwith Festival Filmhouse.
A Gregory's Girl “school reunion” is set to reunite the stars of the film for a special screening of the Scottish classic.
Forsyth is one of Scotland’s most prolific directors, achieving worldwide success and working with some of Hollywood's biggest stars such as Burt Lancaster, Burt Reynolds, and Robin Williams.
This year's Outwith Festival is set to honour his work with Home Comforts: Three Films by Bill Forsyth, a retrospective featuring a trio of his most acclaimed films, That Sinking Feeling (1979), Gregory's Girl (1980) and Local Hero (1983).
The screenings will take place on Saturday, September 7 at the Carnegie Hall Studio Theatre.
A host of actors from the films will appear in-person for live Q&A's following the screenings of Gregory's Girl and That Sinking Feeling. Special guests include actor Dee Hepburn, who played Gregory's love interest, Dorothy, Caroline Guthrie, who appeared as schoolmate Carol, and Robert Buchanan, who featured as Gregory's friend Andy, and played the lead role of Ronnie in That Sinking Feeling.
READ MORE: Dunfermline Outwith Festival dates announced for 2024
David Smith, who is leading the Outwith Festival film strand, was keen to celebrate the work of the decorated director.
“Bill Forsyth is Scotland's most beloved filmmaker," he said. "With his beautifully realised characters and gentle humour, his films have delighted us for decades.
"We're absolutely thrilled to be celebrating his work and welcoming some of the most iconic faces in Scottish cinema to the festival.
"Outwith has consistently strived to bring unique, top-quality film experiences to Dunfermline. Not only with screenings, but also with other events that give people the chance to meet filmmakers and offer valuable insight into working in the film industry.
"With live Q&A's, panel discussions, and continuing Outwith's strong record of showcasing new and emerging talent with our Short Film Night, this year is undoubtedly our most exciting and ambitious film programme yet."
Pay-What-You-Can family screenings at the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum will entertain film fans of all ages.
Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards, the acclaimed Robot Dreams will kick things off with a screening on Saturday, September 7.
This will be followed on Sunday by a screening of short animated films for kids, including the award-winning Buzz, which tells the story of a grumpy space farmer and a mischievous robot bee, and a selection of shorts from multi BAFTA award-winning animator Rich Webber, acclaimed for his work with Aardman Animations on Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts.
Also screening on Sunday is the animated special, A Bear Named Wojtek, which tells the story of the famous bear who was adopted by the Polish army during WWII, before spending the rest of his days in Edinburgh Zoo.
For budding filmmakers and horror fans, Sunday, September 8 sees “How to Make a Horror Movie” – a panel discussion featuring a line-up of Scotland's most exciting horror filmmakers.
Panellists include BAFTA NT award-winner Graham Hughes. whose films Death of a Vlogger and Hostile Dimensions both screened at London Frightfest, and Fife-based filmmaker David Izatt, whose film Skinjacker has its Scottish premiere last year at the Carnegie Hall following a successful festival run.
Joining them will be founder of Hex Studios and president of the revived incarnation of the iconic Amicus Productions, Lawrie Brewster, whose notable works include Lord of Tears, The Unkindness of Ravens and Automata.
They will be talking about their careers, sharing filmmaking advice and giving the gory details on everything that goes into making a horror movie.
As previously announced, the Outwith Short Film Night will round out the programme on the Sunday evening.
Hosted at Fire Station Creative, the event will offer a compelling line-up of short films and offer the chance to network with filmmakers. Entry for short film submissions is still open until August 4.
Films can be submitted through the festival's FilmFreeway page here. Tickets for all events are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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