The GFT

The GFT (Offícially: Glasgow Film Theatre; Scots: Glesga Fillum Theatre) is an independent cinema in Glesga's Ceetie Centre. The GFT is a registrate chairity. It's hoosed in a purpose-made cinema biggin, appent in 1939, an is nou bieldit as a category B leetit biggin. History an architectur GFT's predecessor, the Cosmo, wis Scotland's first airts cinema an juist the seicont purpose-made arthoose in Breetain, efter the Curzon Mayfair in Lunnon. Appent on 18 Mey 1939, it wis the last cinema tae be biggit in Glesga afore the WW2 ootbrak forby. The Cosmo came aboot at the end o an important decade fur Scots an Breetish fillum cultur. Wi the ingang o soond in fillum, language turnt intil a barrier an popular fillums frae the continent stairtit tae disappear frae British screens swith-like. In Glesga, audiences fur warld cinema war sert bi The Film Society of Glasgow (Scots: Fillum Societie o Glesga). Foondit in 1929, this wis the first cultur film group in Scotland, an its growin memmership shawed a real hunger fur furran-leide fillums in the ceetie. Mair bi taiken, Glesga fowk in this time war fair hungert fur fillum in general: in 1939, thay went tae the cinema 51 time ilka year in common five aichts, compare't tae 35 time fur the lave o Scotland, an 21 time in Ingland. Thay war weel-sert fur cinemas – bi the end o the decade, the ceetie coud blowst 114 in total, wi mair nor 175,000 seatin capacity in total. But thare wisnae, as this pynt, ony commercial arthoose cinema. Seein a gap in the mercat, an joukin the major film distríbutors' routine o giein preference tae UK-wide circuits, George Singleton came in, whase cinemas includit elegant art deco biggins made fur him bi James McKissack. He nou heidit ane o Glesgae's illustrious cinema chain faimilies, an wad turn intae a co-foonder o the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre alang wi James Bridie an Tom Honeyman. The name gien tae the cinema, Cosmo, wis made tae be brief an catchy fur signage an advertisin. It wis taen fae the Cosmopolitan. Single brocht on his ordinar architects, James McKissack and WJ Anderson II tae work on the new cinema. Thair design fur the Cosmo's geometric, windae-less façade wis tak fae the Willem Marinus Dudok's wirk, a leadin Dutch modernist architect. The internetional theme wis carriet on tae ootwi the cinema, fae the claddin materials thay chyse tae uise – a mix o Ayrshire brick duin wi faience cornices, set on a base o bleck Swadhish granate - an ben the cinema, whaur a globe wis pit in ower the stall's ingang. In the oríginal layoot, thare wis juist the ae auditorium, seatin 850. The Cosmo appent on Thursday 18t Mey, wi an advert in the Glasgow Herald the follaein day, promisin tae futur audiences a programme o ‘continental fiction fillums, revivals o Breetish an American fiction fillums, documentary fillums, cartoons an news reels. Thare is juist the ae qualification – thay hiv tae be be first rate quality.’ The apppenin screenin wis Julien Duvivier's Un Carnet de Bal (1937). The appenin saw the first appearance o Mr Cosmo an aw, a dapper an bowler-hattit cartoon feegur tak fae George Singleton, designed bi Charles Oakley, Chair o the Film Society an the Scottish Film Council. Mr Cosmo wis pit ontae posters an adverts fur the cinema, an shawed on screen afore the main featur stairtit in – aither a comic or tragic pose – dependin on the fillum efter. Ower a guid twa three year, we wad be a kenspeckle feegure tae generations o Glesga cinema-goers, an kin be seen aboot the GFT biggin the day. He bides in the name o GFT's doonstair café an aw. Fae the stairt, Quality European cinema wis central tae Cosmo's programmin, wi pre-readin o fillum catalogues bein duin bi Charles Oakley tae help the selections bi George Singletom. Programmes in the summer o 1939 includit La Grande Illusion (1937) an La Kermesse Heroique (1935). Tho supplies dried up durin WW2 an the cinema went back tae mair mainstream Inglis-leid fillums, screenins stairtit again shortly wi enthusiasm efter. In Februar 1946, the Cosmo turnt intae the first cinema in the UK tae shaw a French fillum made unuer the Occupation, an Cosmo audiences saw wartime German featurs an aw, includin – in "breathtakin" Agfacolour – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1943). Big hits at the cinema includit Hamlet (thit ran fur eleven weeks in 1948), Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959) an Disney's Fantasia (1941), a lang-runnin Cosmo Christmas favourite. A ‘Cosmo Club’, offerin fillums ‘no blessed bi the Censor's certificate’, appent in 1960. The Cosmo ran fur 3 decade till thair economic seetiation got the best o thaim, an coudna survive the wey it wis. On 21st April 1973, it wis sold tae the Scottish Film Countil, re-appenin the follaein year as the Glasgow Film Theature wi the format auditorium spleet intae a 404-seat cinema (nou Screen 1) in the umwhile balcony an conference an exhibition space in the staws. Mr Cosmo wad bow oot at a Fantasia gala screenin, anooncin tae the warld thit he wad 'watch wi pride an affection the new development o the auld tradítion.' The new cinema appent on 2nd May 1974 wi a screening o Fellini's Roma. In its new form, the cinema wad cairry on shawin fillums ootwi an ayont the commercial mainstream. The key differ wad be in in GFT's braider remit. Takkin fae London's National Film Theatre, GFT cairried on tae shaw the latest warld cinema lowsins, but pit forrit newer trends in film cultur an aw, collaboratin wi the Third Eye Centre (nou the CCA Glasgow) tae pit on experimental fillums, screenin fillum seasons, retrospectives an late-nicht cult classics, an developin educational actívities. In 1986 GFT turnt intae a registerate chairity an stairtit a campaign tae raise money fur a seicont cinema tae replace the auld basement conference room. Screen 2 (wi seats fur 142 viewer), an the dounstairs café-bar Café Cosmo, appent fur business in 1991. Embro-based architect James Doherty reeturned in 1998 tae revamp the foyer; in a nod tae the original design, the new foyer includes a mosaic globe design bi American Glesga-based airtist Todd Garner pit on the floor. In the same period, thay paid Glasgow School of Art graduate Adrienne Brennan tae dae new curtain sets fur Screen 1 an Glesga studio Timorous Beasties (Screen 2), baith o thaim reference the ‘cosmos’ in taeir design. In 1988 the biggin wis B-listed bi Historic Scotland. In 2013 Café Cosmo wis muived tae the mezzanine level tae gie way fur a 3rd cinema screen. Ootthrou the years GFT haes played host tae guests includin Richard Attenborough, John Byrne (playwright), Danny Boyle, Robert Carlyle, Robbie Coltrane, Sean Connery, Willem Dafoe, Stephen Fry, David Hayman, Eddie Izzar, Paul Lavert, David Lynch, Ewan McGregor, Peter Mullan, David Niven, Christopher Reeve, Mickey Rooney, Martin Scorsese, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino an Max von Sydow. Fillums GFT screens a hale wheen o international cinema, classic fillums an documentaries alangsyd locally pit thegither work an material aimed at a reenge o community groups. In total, it pits on ower 600 different fillums ilka year, 60% o thaim is in furrain leids. As weel as daily screenins o fillums, GFT is host tae a nummer o clubs an actívities includin a Film Discussion Group in the upstair bar tae tawk aboot new mainstream an furrain-leid lowsins. Fae 2005, GFT haes been hame tae the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF). Haud ilka year on Februar, the festival pits on a programme o featur fillums, shorts, special events an live an interactive happenins frae the GFT an ither cinemas, galleries an byordinar venues fae aroond the ceetie. References 9 Spies At The ABC - Vampires t The Odeon - Culture At The Cosmo: What We Watched In Glasgow Cinemas In The 1960s by Jim Doyle Freemit Airtins GFT wabsite (in Inglis) Scots Cinemas an Theatres Project (in Inglis)