Scotland’s Sands Worldwide Movie Pageant of St Andrews will open on April twenty fifth with a screening of the indie British comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island starring Carey Mulligan and Sian Clifford (Fleabag).
The comedy arrives at Sands after its debut at this yr’s Sundance Movie Pageant. The movie follows a lottery winner who pays his favorite folks duo to reunite and carry out a live performance on his distant island. Focus will launch the pic on March 28.
Sands, which can run till April 27, may even display the Oscar-winning documentary No Different Land, which tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a Palestinian filmmaker and an Israeli journalist, and Two Strangers Attempting Not To Kill Every Different, a buzzy doc a few married couple as they replicate on their lives collectively and navigate ageing and the adjustments it brings. The movie’s co-director and producer, Manon Ouimet, will attend the fest and participate in a post-screening Q&A.
Different Sands 2025 titles embrace Witches from writer-director Elizabeth Sankey, who may even participate in a Q&A alongside composer and producer Jeremy Warmsley, and Shiori Ito’s Oscar-nominated Black Field Diaries, a doc that examines one girl’s struggle towards Japan’s outdated judicial system.
Headline visitors scheduled to attend the fest embrace veteran actor, presenter, and campaigner Joanna Lumley, who will participate in a Q&A session on the second day of the competition. That very same day, competition founders Joe and Anthony Russo, together with AGBO CCO Angela Russo-Otstot, will participate in an In Dialog session with Caribbean filmmaker Frank E. Flowers, entitled Holding the Door Open, on the facility of mentorship in constructing inclusive pathways for rising filmmakers.
Elsewhere, musician Kathleen Wallfisch will function in a Q&A session on her profession, which incorporates work as Music Supervisor on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II and Napoleon, whereas influential Casting Director Kharmel Cochrane may even talk about her skilled path. Cochrane’s credit embrace Rye Lane, Saltburn, and The Northman.
Now in its fourth yr, Sands Pageant Director Ania Trzebiatowska describes the occasion as a vacation spot for “fostering connection and strengthening group.”
“In these sophisticated instances, the empathy that movies can evoke feels extra very important than ever. Now in its fourth yr, our boutique movie competition in St Andrews has all the time been pushed by a want to develop in depth and that means, reasonably than measurement,” Trzebiatowska mentioned. “I see Sands as each a platform for thrilling new voices and an area the place passionate, inventive folks can come collectively to attach and talk about their work within the movie trade.”
AGBO Chief Inventive Officer Angela Russo-Otstot added: “Sands has all the time been about celebrating daring storytelling and fostering significant inventive connections. This yr’s program displays the competition’s dedication to amplifying various voices and championing artists who problem, encourage, and innovate. At AGBO, we’re particularly excited to be joined by Frank E. Flowers in dialog, highlighting the significance of mentorship and the pathways that assist form the subsequent era of filmmakers.”
