GFF 2025 - Glasgow Film Festival Recap

At this year's Glasgow Film Festival, conversations about intellectual property, licensing, and AI seemed endless. Every time I turned around, someone invited me for a chat over coffee — so much so that at some point, I had to switch to half-caff just to pace myself. (A rare concession, considering I am philosophically opposed to decaf.)

This, I think, speaks to something bigger. The conversations I had with GFF delegates weren’t just polite professional exchanges. They were thoughtful, engaged, and — for some — deeply personal. The filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals I spoke to were actively looking for ways to protect their work, do right by their contributors, and ensure that contracts work in their favour rather than against them.

To read an abridged version of my transcript and view my presentation, click here.

I had the first of many, many coffees while refining my presentation at The Social Hub in the Merchant City district of Glasgow. TSH was used as the all-in-one Industry Hub for GFF's networking receptions, panels, one-to-one meetings, and live pitches. Highly recommended!

Global Glasgow - Scotland’s film industry isn’t "regional," it’s world-class.

GFF isn’t a niche event or a stepping stone for “emerging” talent — the presence of names like James McAvoy, Tim Roth, and Takehiro Hira (to name just a few) at this year's festival only reinforced that. The film festival is the second biggest in the UK; only the BFI's London Film Festival attracts a larger crowd. Packed with interesting panels, live pitches, and lots of networking opportunities, the atmosphere was one of the best I've ever experienced at an industry event.

Screen Scotland, which drives development of all aspects of Scotland's film and tv industry, is aiming to increase the screen sector’s overall economic impact in Scotland to £1 billion ($1.3 billion USD) — up from around £617 million ($800 million) in 2021. They're also targeting a major boost in employment, growing from roughly 11,000 full-time workers today to 17,000 by the end of the decade (see Screen Scotland Strategy to 2030/31).

Recently, I saw The Outrun, a stunning adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir starring Saoirse Ronan, which felt emblematic of the kind of storytelling Scotland excels at—visceral, deeply human, and pulling no punches. Although not shown at GFF, the film perfectly captures what Scottish storytelling is all about—visceral, deeply human, and pulling no punches.

And that’s precisely why conversations about contracts, rights, and AI matter. It's not about "fill-in-the-blanks" paperwork; these discussions shape who gets to tell stories, who profits from them, and how creative industries sustain themselves in the long term.

The networking opportunities were so good, and Glaswegians are so nice!

Contracts and Copyright - and why it matters in the age of AI

I was invited to speak at Glasgow Film Festival after meeting the CEO of Glasgow Film Theatre at the Locarno Film Festival last year. Over a glass of wine in the beautiful Ticino sunshine with her and her colleague, we discussed how to bring practical legal insights about intellectual property to Scottish filmmakers, producers and other creatives. When she invited me to kick off the Industry programme, of course I said yes!

Fast forward to 3 March 2025: after outlining the foundations of copyright law and highlighting why AI presents such a profound challenge for filmmakers and creators today, I shifted my focus to the importance of contracts. (Stay with me, here!) One of the key points I really wanted to emphasise is that using lots of complex legal terminology in an agreement doesn't mean you're clever or sophisticated.

While some turns of phrase are absolutely needed from a contractual or regulatory perspective, sometimes it's a sign of an overly-complex or unecessarily confusing drafting. Sometimes it’s a strategic move — a deliberate choice to keep one party uncertain or overwhelmed. And if only one party understands the risks embedded in a contract, the other is effectively powerless. Contracts should never leave you nodding along, hoping for the best: they should be clear, accurate, and (hopefully) balanced, empowering both sides to negotiate confidently.

After the session, several delegates came up to talk: many mentioned how relieved they felt when I explained it wasn't their fault if contracts seems confusing or intimidating. What seemed to resonate most deeply was the idea that contracts should never leave you feeling powerless. People genuinely seemed empowered by the idea that they didn't have to simply accept the terms handed to them — and that understanding the risks in a contract was not only possible, but achievable.

This debate isn’t just about copyright law. It’s about the fundamental balance of power between creatives and certain technology companies. And it’s something that’s playing out in real-time through licensing deals between Hollywood studios and AI firms, where the terms of use for creative assets and performers' likenesses are being tested, negotiated, and, in some cases, fought over.

I love my job, and one of the reasons is because I get the chance to speak directly with creatives and help them understand issues that might otherwise seem intimidating or confusing. My session—and the many coffee-fuelled conversations afterward—made one thing very clear: we're definitely still figuring all this out. But I’m encouraged by the passion I saw in Glasgow, and inspired by how proactive people are about tackling these questions head-on.

The Industry Focus programme at the GFF is described as "where we forge connections, share fresh new thinking and nurture the filmmakers of tomorrow."

I hope that’s the spirit we keep as the conversation continues.

See you in 2026, if not before, Glasgow!

James McAvoy was awarded at the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), not far from where he studied at the the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.