Cinematic institution the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) has announced a special programme to celebrate its half century. Originally opened as the Cosmo in 1939, the cinema became the GFT on Thursday 2 May 1974. On that day, it screened Federico Fellini’s classic Roma and, appropriately, it’s that film that kicks off this special celebration. Claude Berri’s acclaimed French drama and sequel Jean De Florette and Manon Des Sources will be screened in a double-bill. The two films, both released in 1986, will be presented in brand new 4K restorations. Another fitting addition to the line-up is Cinema Paradiso, Giuseppe Tornatore’s elegant 1988 love letter to the power and enduring legacy of filmmaking.

Other restored classics include Wong Kar-Wai’s romantic drama In The Mood For Love, Alfred Hitchcock’s mystery thriller Rear Window (celebrating its 70th anniversary), and Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s blistering Brazilian crime drama City Of God. At the other end of the spectrum is cult classic The Room, directed by mysterious auteur Tommy Wiseau. Actor Greg Sestero (‘Oh hi, Mark’) will be on-hand for a post-film Q&A. Spoons at the ready.

Going against the restoration grain, filmgoers will have the opportunity to watch the ‘unrestored’ 70mm print of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This project, overseen by Christopher Nolan, aims to recreate the original cinematic experience of Kubrick’s masterpiece and was released for its own 50th anniversary in 2018. Other sci-fi classics include Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris (a bit like 2001 with all the action taken out) and Ridley Scott’s definitive Blade Runner: The Final Cut.

Paul Gallagher, GFT Programme Manager, said, ‘Looking back over 50 years of GFT programmes, it became really clear to me that we had to major on brilliant European and non-English language films for this anniversary season, as this is what GFT has uniquely excelled at showcasing and bringing to Glasgow audiences over the years. Along with this, we've hosted many crowd-pleasing communal moments, so it was essential to me that we revisit a few of those! My hope is that this celebratory programme goes some way to capturing the essence of what makes watching a film at GFT so special, and we invite everyone to come and be a part of the anniversary celebrations and help us ensure GFT continues for many years to come.’

Tickets for the anniversary programme of films go on sale at 12pm on Wednesday 3 April from the GFT website.