Between scenes: Glasgow’s alternative film spaces in the 1990s

Abstract

This article focuses on previously undocumented film initiatives that emerged within counter-cultural scenes in Glasgow, presenting the case study of New Visions, a film and video festival established in 1992. Drawing on primary sources including institutional archives, festival brochures, and interviews, this article argues that Glasgow’s alternative film culture had a symbiotic relationship with the arts and the music scenes, a relationship made concrete through the use of shared spaces and the transit of people between different practices. In the context of shifting agendas of cultural policy and funding, with a growing emphasis on festivals, New Visions’ struggles illuminate the clash between grassroots initiatives and mainstream cultural policy.