Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews has announced further details of the line-up for the third edition of the festival, taking place from April 19-21.
The festival will open with a double bill on Friday, April 19 with British writer-director Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature In Camera, an exhilarating portrayal of modern youth in the state of perpetual transformation laced with anxiety, and a special screening of Harry Holland’s short film Last Call which tells the momentous and heartbreaking story of Kate, a desperate mother who is trying to reconnect with her estranged son, played by Tom Holland. The filmmakers will be present to introduce the screenings.
The festival will close with Maggie Contreras’ debut feature documentary Maestra in which five remarkable female conductors from across the globe prepare for and compete in La Maestra – the world’s only competition for female conductors. When the camera turns to capture the conductors competing on-stage at the nail-biting finals in Paris, audiences will revel in the diverse styles of exquisite music they bring to life. Maestra is a celebration of talent, artistic passion and resilience.
Scottish actress and filmmaker Karen Gillan will take part in a talk on April 21 about her career both in front of and behind the camera, moderated by actor, playwright and director Adura Onashile. Gillan achieved international stardom with the role of Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe working with the Russo brothers on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers Endgame. Her other film credits include: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, in which she starred alongside Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart,Gunpowder Milkshake and sci-fi thriller, Dual. Sands will also screen two of Gillan’s short films: Conventional (2015) and The Hoarding (2020).
Sands will also run a number of talks on the subject of film: The Art of Curation will take a closer look at the work of the film curator, and how to develop the skills necessary to become one. The talk will also ask pertinent questions for the modern-day curator including what is the role of human taste in the digital age? Guests Gráinne Humphreys, of the Dublin Film Festival, and Josh Siegel, Curator in MoMA’s Department of Film, will take part in this special conversation. On Documentary will interrogate the idea that we are witnessing a golden age for documentaries and seek to explore what audiences really want to see in this day and age. Head of Documentaries and Non-Fiction for Apple TV+, Molly Thompson, and John Sloss, producer and founder and CEO of Cinetic Media, will take part in a discussion, moderated by Oscar-winning producer Melanie Miller (Navalny, Maestra).
This year’s family film is the Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers, the third and final instalment of Tomm Moore’s Irish Folklore trilogy of acclaimed animated films. Wolfwalkers is a fantastical story of friendship, family, and fighting for what you believe in. Rachel Lambert’s third fiction feature Sometimes I Think About Dying starring Daisy Ridley as Fran, a woman who spends her days in a cubicle of a depressing office in Oregon, committed to avoiding any unnecessary contact with her coworkers, will screen on Saturday, April 20. A delicate story of love and longing, shown through the eyes of a sensitive introvert, the film serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty found in unexpected places.
Other films screening at this year’s festival include: Mami Wata from award-winning director C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi, which imagines a fictional African village, not yet affected by the Western norms shaping the lands around them, but instead reliant upon the water goddess, Mami Wata, for survival; Orlando: My Political Biography (Orlando, ma biographie politique) which follows more than 20 trans and non-binary interviewees as they each discuss their identities in relation to author Virginia Woolf’s original character of Orlando, a young man who grew up to be a woman; Silent Roar, an idiosyncratic coming-of-age story that captures the mystique of the Hebridean landscape, where the mundane coexists with the otherworldly, and mourning intertwines with religious exploration and teenage kicks; Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Savvusanna Sõsarad), Anna Hints’ atmospheric feature-length documentary debut set in a traditional Estonian smoke sauna in which a group of women share their jokes, desires, histories and secrets and help each other heal from past traumas and Achilles, Farhad Delaram’s directorial debuting taking audiences on a journey between cities in contemporary Iran.
Festival Director Ania Trzebiatowska said: “I’m excited to share the lineup of the 3rd edition of Sands. The curatorial process is unique, involving university students with a keen interest in film and, together, we select films we are passionate about sharing with our communities. This year, we will showcase some extraordinary films and talent from around the world, and I cannot wait for our audiences to have the opportunity to discover those, as well as take part in some very special panel and Q&A opportunities with some of the world’s greatest auteurs and filmmakers.”
Sands is committed to physical, intellectual, social and financial access, as reflected in its provision of live captioning of all speaker events, and on screen subtitles and audio description of films where available. A large print version of the programme is available and the organisers are creating a quieter space for people experiencing overwhelm. In addition, the Pay What You Can pricing model and a selection of free, ticketed events help people overcome some of the financial and social barriers which often prevent engagement with the arts and culture.
Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews is produced by the Byre Theatre, University of St Andrews, with the University’s Department of Film Studies as a key partner. https://sands-iff.com/ Tickets to this years’ festival can be purchased via the Byre Theatre website HERE.
Sands enjoys generous support from the Russo Brothers’ independent studio AGBO, the Murphy Family, and other donors. It is thanks to the unique relationship with lead sponsor, AGBO, combined with the expertise of Ania Trzebiatowska, that Sands is able to welcome internationally high-profile guests to St Andrews alongside artists and industry professionals at the beginning of their careers and established experts who play essential roles behind the scenes.
AGBO is an Academy Award-Winning independent studio focused on developing and producing intellectual property universes spanning film, TV, gaming, and publishing. Founded in 2017 by award-winning and record-breaking directors Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO’s mission is to innovate and advance the next generation of storytelling to entertain and inspire worldwide audiences. AGBO’s recent productions include the Academy Award-Winning Best Picture film Everything Everywhere All At Once, Netflix’s Extraction 2, The Gray Man and Amazon thriller series Citadel. https://www.agbo.com/
