We love her funny face...

You are probably not the first person to ask why Glasgow has chosen Audrey Hepburn as the subject of our 2009 retrospective. There is no special anniversary to celebrate although, had she lived, Audrey would have been 80 in May. There are no sparkling new digital prints of Audrey classics that are waiting to be re-issued although the Festival might just nudge a few distributors to look again at the availability of her work in this country. Co-director Allison Gardner has quite literally gone to the ends of the earth to secure some of the films that we will be showing in February.

We chose Audrey because in an age of shallow celebrity, global uncertainty and economic gloom she remains a shining beacon of elegance, sophistication and everything that makes the movies an irresistible refuge from the daily cares of the world. Given the daily gloom on the news and in the air who wouldn't want to escape to Audrey's world for a few hours? An Oscar-winning star and enduring fashion icon, Audrey had the ability to make it all look so effortless. What woman hasn't wanted to be as chic as Audrey? What man hasn't wanted to sweep her off her feet, protect and cherish her?

Everyone knows the Audrey Hepburn of Breakfast At Tiffanys. Everyone knows the industry that has grown up around Audrey as her image has adorned everything from handbags to calendars and prints. This is a chance to see what made her so special. A chance to see her best work on the big screen where it belongs.

Of all the great female stars of the 1950s, including Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly, Audrey is the one who remains the most beguiling. The romantic roles in Roman Holiday (1953) and Sabrina (1954) have a tenderness and sincerity that make contemporary romantic comedies look crass and inadequate. Her musicals are simply sublime. The combination of Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Gershwin tunes and Paris locations makes Funny Face (1957) simply irresistible and the perfect choice for a romantic matinee on St. Valentine's Day.

There will also be a chance to savour the full range of Audrey's talent with rare screenings of the undervalued western The Unforgiven (1960) with Burt Lancaster and the once controversial The Children's Hour (1962) with Shirley MacLaine.

This is a retrospective that salutes the Audrey in all her glory because we will never see her likes again and because we love her funny face, her sunny, funny face...

Blogger: GFF co-director Allan Hunter

Audrey Hepburn's screen test:



Audrey Hepburn Interview:

We're taking Audrey to the BAFTA Scotland awards!

Our cutout of Audrey Hepburn has just arrived. We'll be taking her to the BAFTA Scotland awards to meet the living and breathing film stars of today. We'll be taking photographs so watch this space next week...

If you're at the awards, come and find us and meet Audrey just outside the ballroom at the party afterwards.

Blogger: Jen Davies (GFF design and marketing)

Welcome!

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, to the glorious cabaret of the GFF09!

GFF09 aims to be the most interactive festival yet. As well as our new blog, we’ll be giving sneak previews of the programme, hosting competitions and coasting the web for useful links and related info and events.

This is our first blog entry, and we think our blog will be worth bookmarking. Why? Well, besides updating you on all the latest festival news, screenings, events and gossip (actually, cancel that, we’re starting to sound like Heat), we’ll also be welcoming special guests from the world of film and entertainment to give their views, experiences and predictions about the Glasgow Film Festival. Some of our guests may even record video blogs…

As you will know by now, our major retrospective is dedicated to the wonderful Ms. Audrey Hepburn. We are also, though this won’t be news by now, be celebrating the centenary of one Errol Flynn.

A few years ago, it may have been difficult to imagine such events ever coming to Glasgow, but the city’s recent renaissance has put paid to that. Glasgow has been frequently voted one of the hippest, friendliest and most exciting cities in the world. Where once, Audrey and Errol would have been injecting some much-needed glamour, now they fit right in. Had they been available, we would have been sure to get them on the bloggers list!

We want to involve our audience as much as possible, so feel free to post your comments, views, ideas and questions.

What good is sitting alone in your room, come hear the music play. And watch a film or two. The soon-to-be-legendary Glasgow Film Festival is still in its infancy: say you were there to see it take off!

Blogger: Michael Gillespie (GFF digital media)