Cinescapes Festival: Trainspotting to open new outdoor festival of film in Scottish locations which inspired them

A double bill of Danny Boyle’s cult classic Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting will launch a new festival celebrating Scottish films in the locations that inspired them.
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The films, both partly shot in the Leith area of Edinburgh, will be shown on a giant LED screen outside a brewery taproom there as part of the Cinescapes Festival.

The festival will run from July to October, with the finale a showing of Sylvain Chomet’s animated film The Illusionist at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, on October 16.

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There will also be a showing of Under The Skin in Glasgow on July 31, Nae Pasaran in East Kilbride on August 21 and Aquarela in Oban in September.

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People in the local area will be able to watch the films for free in socially-distanced ticketed outdoor screenings, with an option to give a donation, and they will also be shared online with people around the world with viewers paying according to a sliding scale.

Amanda Rogers, founder of Cinescapes, said: “It has been a long time in the planning and we are really thrilled we are going to get this off the ground.

Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill.Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill.
Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill.

“Trainspotting was a phenomenon that put Scottish film on the international map and 25 years after its release it stands the test of time.

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“T2 Trainspotting was a very worthy sequel and it was partly filmed in Leith – which fits our ambition of showing films in the locations which inspired them.”

The open-air Trainspotting double bill will take place on a giant LED screen outside the Campervan tap room in Leith on July 4.

Aquarela, directed by Viktor Kossakovsky and described as “the most dangerous documentary ever made”, looks at the awesome and destructive power of water, and will be shown in a free public screening at McCaig’s Tower in Oban in partnership with Oban Phoenix on September 24.

Originally the festival was planned as a winter event using projections. However, because of lockdown delays and long Scottish summer days the films will mostly be shown on giant LED screens, rather than projected onto buildings and landscapes.

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The team behind Cinescapes will also create supporting material which will be shared with the online audience around the world.

Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club and co-producer of Cinescapes, said: “We are creating a series of interviews featuring directors, actors and people involved in each of the films.

“We are also putting together a visual guide to each of the areas the film is inspired by and long form podcasts.

“For the local audience Cinescapes Festival will be a community event, but for movie buffs around the world it will give a deep dive into the films and an insight into the landscapes that inspired them.”

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The festival is supported by Film Hub Scotland and the Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, which was set up by EventScotland in collaboration with the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s events sector plan and deliver events through to the end of 2021, and help it respond and adapt to the effects of the pandemic.

Information can be found at https://cinetopiashow.com/cinescapes

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