Exclusive premiere of Sir Alex Ferguson documentary

February 23, 2021 | Film & TV

Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) has announced three more premieres ahead of its online edition running from 24 February to 7 March.

One of the main features involves legendary Scottish football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who, having turned Aberdeen into a Scottish Premier League and European Cup Winners’ Cup winning side, moved to Manchester United in 1986 and transformed the club into the most successful league winners in England.

On the 6 March the festival will host the World premiere of Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In – a remarkably intimate and moving story about one of the greatest football managers of all time, directed by his son, Jason Ferguson.

Filmed whilst recovering from a traumatic brain haemorrhage and acutely aware that his memory might desert him, Sir Alex Ferguson recounts the most important stories of his life, both in and out of football, to his son Jason. Featuring exclusive and previously unseen archive footage, this is a film about the bond between a man and his family; an exploration of leadership and mental toughness and a celebration of one of football’s greatest careers.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In is coming to cinemas from 27 May and available on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Ireland from 29 May. Directed by his son, Jason and produced by BAFTA Award-winner, Andrew Macdonald (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later), Academy Award-winning John Battsek (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man), BAFTA Award-winner and BAFTA Award-nominee, Allon Reich (The Last King of Scotland, Never Let Me Go).

Tickets for this screening are free and strictly limited; they are available on a first come, first served basis from noon on Thurs 18 February at glasgowfilm.org/festival

A young Sir Alex Ferguson (Photo: Mirrorpix)

Sir Alex Ferguson and Jason Ferguson will take part in an exclusive digital Q&A for the festival, available to all ticket holders.

On 5 March the festival will host the UK premiere of Tina – the ultimate celebration of Tina Turner, a global superstar and an intimate portrait of a woman who overcame extreme adversity to define her career, her identity and her legacy on her own terms.

From her early hits as the queen of R&B, to her record-breaking sell-out arena tours of the 1980s, Tina Turner draws back the curtain to invite us into her private world in a way she has never done before. Revealing her inner-most struggles, and sharing some of her most personal moments, Tina is the defining and inspirational record of one of the greatest survivors in modern music.

Following its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival, Tina will be released in the UK and Ireland in March.

Kelly Reichardt’s beautiful and moving film First Cow will have its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival on 5 March. Kelly Reichardt once again trains her perceptive and patient eye on the Pacific Northwest, this time evoking an authentically hardscrabble early nineteenth century way of life.

A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has travelled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune; soon the two collaborate on a successful business, although its longevity is reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.

From this simple premise Reichardt constructs an interrogation of foundational Americana that recalls her earlier triumph Old Joy in its sensitive depiction of male friendship, yet is driven by a mounting suspense all its own. Reichardt again shows her distinct talent for depicting the peculiar rhythms of daily living and ability to capture the immense, unsettling quietude of rural America.

Starring John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones and Ewen Bremner the film will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland by MUBI on 28 May.

GFF will be welcoming a host of other guests for exclusive digital Q&As playing alongside their premieres including Ewen Bremner and Nick Moran for Creation Stories (24 Feb); Lee Isaac Chung for Minari (24 Feb); Jodie Foster, Kevin Macdonald and Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian (25 Feb); Celeste Bell and Paul Sng for Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche (27 Feb); Lawrence Michael Levine for Black Bear (27 Feb); Ben Whishaw and Aneil Karia for Surge (5 Mar); Bryan Fogel for The Dissident (6 Mar); Viktor Kossakovsky for the Oscar-nominated Gunda (7 Mar); and Suzanne Lindon for Spring Blossom (7 Mar).

The festival opens on 24 February with the UK premiere of Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari and closes on 7 March with the UK premiere of Suzanne Lindon’s Spring Blossom. In total, Glasgow Film Festival will host 10 World premieres, 3 European premieres and 49 UK premieres via its new digital platform, Glasgow Film At Home.

Tickets for Tina, First Cow and Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In are available from Thursday 18 February at glasgowfilm.org/festival. Tickets for all other events are on sale now at glasgowfilm.org/festival.

Titles will be available to view between 24 February and 7 March on online platform Glasgow Film At Home, Glasgow Film’s streaming site, launched last year to provide a curated offering of titles available to watch online. It is free to create an account and users can pre-order the GFF21 premieres they want to watch during the festival.