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The Big Picture Magazine is, in its own words:

the new visually-focussed free film magazine that goes beyond the borders of the screen to reveal cinema’s unique power to entertain, inspire and connect to each and every one of us.
The free magazine (and the accompanying website) offers an intelligent take on cinema, focussing on how film affects our lives. Aimed at the enthusiastic film-goer at large, The Big Picture provides an original take on the cinematic experience. Drawing from cinema’s fundamental visual power, The Big Picture turns traditional magazine publishing on its head, allowing the powerful filmic images to do the talking rather than masses of text.

I picked up this magazine at my Glasgow Film Theatre in February and was instantly engrossed. The images are beautiful (no surprise, as editor-in-chief Gabriel Solomons is a designer) and the editorial pieces are wonderful.

Published by Intellect Books – who also publish journals like Film Matters and Film International – it’s a brilliant free publication for film-lovers. If you’ve ever felt like Empire’s mainstream content isn’t cutting it, this is the magazine for you. As I flipped through its beautiful glossy pages, I thought about how it was the kind of publication I’d like to become involved in.

So I did.

My Spotlight piece entitled Almost Human is currently on the homepage.

I’d be delighted if you read it.

If you are interested in picking up a copy of the magazine, there is a list of outlets here. You can also download it for free. New issues are released every two months.

What is your favourite film magazine?

Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) features some of the most eclectic and interactive film programming in the West of Scotland. The centre currently celebrates iconic films by British filmmakers in a brand new film strand, Distant Voices.

The project provides a selection of iconic and classic British films to be viewed in a cinema environment. Whether you’re a first-time viewer or classics-fanatic, for only a few pounds you can take advantage of the rare opportunity to discover or re-watch classic films from iconic filmmakers like Powell and Pressburger and Sally Potter on the big screen.

Why should you attend these screenings? CCA’s Programming Assistant and Distant Voices co-curator says that, “All of the films are classics for a reason, well written and well directed they are quoted as influential because they connect with the audience either visually or narratively. It is also a rare opportunity to see these films on the big screen and well worth the £3/2 price.”

So what’s on?

On 8th June, The Third Man (1949), a British film noir directed by Carol Reed (Oliver!) and starring Orson Welles. Filmed in Vienna during its recovery from WWII bombings, it’s the thriller that contains Welles’ infamous cuckoo clock speech.

Two days later, Terence Davies’ two films come together to make, Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988). Described as, “Britain’s forgotten cinematic masterpiece” by The Guardian, it evokes working-class community life in 1940s-50s Liverpool, characterised by the influence of events within its local pub and the supremacy of the popular music and Hollywood cinema of its time.

On 19th August, British New Wave’s iconic co-directors Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger’s ‘I Know Where I’m Going!’ (1945). Kirsten’s personal recommendation, “it’s beautifully set against the Scottish Hebrides and is an atmospheric story of a disenchanted young woman’s exploration into her ideals.”

Finally, Whiskey Galore! (1949) screens on 9th September. Based on true events, it tells the story of a ship containing 24,000 cases of whisky that ran aground during WWII in the dry town of Eriskay in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Its ceilidh scenes and anti-English sentiment – not to mention the unambiguous title – make it a true Scots classic.

The Distant Voices screenings are part of the CCA’s ongoing dedication to synergistic programming that encompasses art, music, and film. Kirsten, alongside CCA Director Francis McKee, “chose films that echoed the exhibitions in the gallery space at the time of the screening…. We wanted to select films that have been referenced by artists and musicians as influential and bring them together as a collection and screened monthly alongside our exhibitions programme.”

If classics aren’t your bag, Kirsten is currently programming the next six-monthly strand with a Film Noir theme.

Distant Voices also has two parallel strands: Beta Movement, which provides the opportunity to engage with artist films, radical documentary and landmark narrative cinema, and Reflections on Black, which screens contemporary artists’ short films on a loop from Sunday-Thursday during the last week of each month. When you pay for three Distant Voices or Beta Movement screenings, CCA invites you to take advantage of a fourth screening free.

Upcoming Distant Voices screenings:
•    The Third Man – 8th June
•    Distant Voices, Still Lives
 – 10th June
•    I Know Where I’m Going
 – 12th August
•    Whisky Galore!
 – 9th September
All screenings in CCA 4 (Cinema) at 
7:00pm

Call Box Office on 0141 352 4900 to book your tickets.