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The 2026 Glasgow Film Festival Opening Film Announced
- Chris Olson
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Film Festival Feature by Chris Olson
There is a specific kind of electricity that fills the air at the Glasgow Film Theatre during the final week of February. It is a mixture of cinematic anticipation and civic pride—a feeling that the eyes of the international film community are fixed firmly on Rose Street. Today, that excitement has found its lightning rod with the announcement that the 22nd edition of the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF26) will open on 25 February with the UK Premiere of Everybody To Kenmure Street.
For those who follow the trajectory of Scottish documentary filmmaking, the name Felipe Bustos Sierra carries significant weight. His 2018 debut feature, Nae Pasaran, was more than just a critical success; it was a cultural moment. That film told the incredible story of East Kilbride Rolls-Royce workers who grounded the Chilean Air Force in protest against Pinochet’s regime. It felt only fitting that it closed the festival back then. Now, Bustos Sierra returns to open the proceedings with a story that hits even closer to home.
Everybody To Kenmure Street chronicles the extraordinary events of May 2021. For the uninitiated—or those outside the Glasgow "bubble"—a dawn raid by the UK Home Office in Pollokshields was met with a spontaneous, community-led blockade. In one of Scotland’s most diverse neighbourhoods, on a day meant for Eid celebrations, a handful of local residents grew into a crowd of hundreds. They surrounded an immigration enforcement van for eight hours, eventually securing the release of two of their neighbours.
What makes this announcement particularly tantalising for a film critic is the approach Bustos Sierra has taken to the material. Rather than a standard "talking heads" documentary, the film is described as a multifaceted tapestry. It utilises crowd-sourced footage from the day, archive film, and meticulously designed scenes captured by cinematographer Kirstin McMahon.
In a bold, creative choice, actors are used to relay verbatim testimonies from contributors who wished to remain anonymous. This technique allows for a depth of perspective that news cameras simply cannot capture. It moves the narrative away from the politics of the Home Office and into the living rooms and hearts of the people who stood on the tarmac.
Executive produced by the formidable two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson, the film promises to be as much a piece of art as it is a record of resistance. Thompson herself has noted that the film demonstrates the "innate and deep decency" of people in the face of institutional structures that lack that very quality.
Adding further local DNA to the project is the original score by Barry Burns of Mogwai. Anyone familiar with the band's work knows their ability to build atmospheric, emotionally resonant soundscapes that mirror the grit and grandeur of Glasgow itself. The combination of Bustos Sierra’s investigative eye and Burns’ sonic textures suggests an immersive theatrical experience that will likely leave Glasgow Film Festival's audience in stunned silence before the inevitable standing ovation.
The director himself has described the film as a "snapshot of a day" and a "joyful reminder" of what a community can achieve. His wait to watch it with a hometown audience is shared by many who remember the headlines but crave the human story behind them.
The opening of GFF26 with Everybody To Kenmure Street marks a significant trend for the festival. For the second year running, Scotland’s largest film gathering will both open and close with major Scottish features. Following the UK Premiere of James McAvoy’s directorial debut, California Schemin’, as the closing gala on 8 March, the festival is effectively bookending its 22nd year with voices that reflect the city’s own identity.
Paul Gallagher, the Head of Programme for Glasgow Film Festival, described the film as capturing the "people-loving heart" of Glasgow. In a world where cinema can often feel like a conveyor belt of globalised content, GFF continues to prove that the most universal stories are often the most local ones.
For those looking to secure their place at what will undoubtedly be the most talked-about ticket in town, set your alarms. Tickets for both the Opening Gala on 25 February and the Closing Gala on 8 March will go on sale at 10 am on Monday, 19 January 2026. The full festival programme, always a highlight of the January calendar, will be unveiled on 21 January.
Following its festival debut, the film will be released in UK and Irish cinemas from 13 March 2026 by Conic.
