Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews 2022 [read more]
Take a stroll along the beach in between films
Today the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews reveals the films taking centre stage for what will be its inaugural iteration. Over three days, 25-27 March 2022, filmmakers from around the world will gather in the historic University town, to not only showcase their work, but engage directly with cinemagoers and the larger community in a range of supporting events all housed in the festival hub, the Byre Theatre.
Sands is proud to finally share details of a compact but diverse and lovingly curated programme, comprising of 9 fiction and non-fiction feature films (including a special mystery film yet to be announced), many of which have only been seen previously at the biggest film festivals in the world.
St Andrews is often cited as the place where great things first blossomed, and this is reflected in the theme uniting the films of this year's programme, Beginnings. Sands is dedicated to championing filmmakers at the beginning of their career, with many of the films showcased being feature debuts for their respective directors. Leith-based filmmaking duo, Will Hewitt and Austen McCowan, who have received Scottish Baftas for their short films, present Long Live My Happy Head, a documentary love story about comic books and cancer that follows a long-distance couple as they navigate one of the most difficult challenges of their lives during a Covid lockdown. Blerta Basholli's feature debut and breakout hit at Sundance, Hive, is inspired by one Kosovan woman’s true story of determination in face of patriarchal oppression and family tragedy.
Amalia Ulman’s hilarious and touching, El Planeta focuses on a mother and daughter who charmingly scam their way to luxury in a post-crisis Spain. Nana Mensah writes, directs and stars in dark comedy Queen of Glory, a heartfelt love letter to the Ghanian-American community of the Bronx that won her the Best New Narrative Director award at Tribeca Film Festival. Jessica Kingdon's now Oscar-nominated documentary Ascension, an absorbing dissection of the "Chinese dream" also won big at Tribeca, having been awarded "Best Documentary" and Jessica named "Best New Documentary Filmmaker".
The programme also features work by filmmakers more established in their careers: Christopher Makoto Yogi’s second feature, I Was a Simple Man, is a palpably personal film, focusing on a family in Hawai'i facing the imminent death of their eldest as the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside. Diego Ongaro's Down With The King, stars real life rap star Freddie Gibbs in an intimate and raw turn playing an artist who becomes disillusioned with the music industry and the pressures of being a celebrity, leaving his career behind to find himself in a small-town farming community. Finally, Jono Mcleod's documentary, My Old School, starring national treasure Alan Cumming, follows the jaw dropping true story of Scotland's most notorious imposter, and ex-classmate of Mcleod.
Over the course of one weekend, Sands will see the small square mile of St Andrews become a buzzing meeting place for filmmakers and cinemagoers alike. The industry offerings at Sands will allow for both audiences and filmmakers alike to connect and engage with each other, especially in keeping with the tight-knit spirit St Andrews is so well known for.
