Mélisa Godet’s debut feature A Place for Her has won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival, which concluded on March 8, 2026. The French drama was selected by audiences from 10 films by first- or second-time directors. The festival closed with the UK premiere of James McAvoy’s directorial debut California Schemin’ amid a city fire that disrupted plans.
The 22nd Glasgow Film Festival ran from February 25 to March 8, 2026, screening 126 films over 12 days, including 16 world, European, and international premieres. A Place for Her follows a dedicated doctor and her team working to maintain a women’s shelter and support women recovering from abuse. The Audience Award came from votes cast on films in the festival’s strand for emerging directors.
The closing event featured the UK premiere of California Schemin’, James McAvoy’s first film as director. The movie draws from the true story of the Dundee rap duo Silibil N’Brains, comprising Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd. The duo, seeking to overcome regional bias and secure a record deal, pose as confident American MCs, testing their friendship as success nears. McAvoy appeared on the red carpet with cast members Samuel Bottomley, Séamus McLean Ross, Lucy Halliday, Rebekah Murrell, and Bain.
A fire on March 8 complicated the festival’s end, starting in a vape shop on Union Street and causing a B-listed Victorian building to collapse beside Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest rail hub. The closing party, originally at the Voco Grand Central Hotel, shifted to Berlinkys. Trains from Glasgow remained closed through March 10, affecting some attendees’ travel.
In the Industry Focus strand, Talent Lab awards included the Funny Features Curzon Creates prize for Pont Brec by Damian Evans, Briony Redman, and Kate Heggie; the Animatic Features prize for Flavio by Kristina Tsenova; the Animatic TV prize for Skinners by Ashley Dick; the Animatics Shorts winner Eat With Your Eyes by Jenny Jokela; and a special mention for A Boy and His Dog by Brady.
GFF Head of Program Paul Gallagher stated: “After a whirlwind 12 days of buzzing audiences, sold out shows, inspiring guests and unforgettable big-screen experience, I’m even more excited about the future of film here in Scotland and around the world.” McAvoy added: “It’s a real honor to be here with California Schemin’ to close this year’s Glasgow Film Festival at the GFT. Bringing the film home to a Scottish audience and celebrating it in such an iconic cinema makes the moment incredibly special for all of us who made it.”
Audience Award winner Godet remarked: “It is a great honor and a great joy for me that this film, so dear to my heart, is receiving the Audience Award... And on this day, the 8th of March, International Women’s Rights Day, this award takes on a very special meaning. So, today, I think of all the women around the world who are fighting for their rights, for their safety, for their freedom. And I think of all those, women and men, who support them in this fight, who help them rise again. Thank you so very much. Long live women! Long live cinema! And all those who love them!”
