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Glasgow Film Festival Takeover Day 2026 review Pat Byrne

GFF’s annual Community Takeover Day is a free cinema event created with, and for, communities around Glasgow.

The film chosen to be screened at Glasgow Film Theatre for the Community Takeover Day 2026 was Super Nature, which had its Scottish Premiere at Glasgow Film Festival on 28 February.

Super Nature is a unique film – a documentary by Ed Sayers which involves collaboration across 25 countries with 40 Super 8 collaborators sharing their films. It was the most fascinating way of capturing and celebrating the vast variety of life on this earth, demonstrating the connection between animals and humans and sadly also highlighting the threats of climate change.

Super Nature

The images presented were fascinating in their variety from sea dragons to the last two white rhinoceros on earth. It was particularly emotional watching Zacharia Mutai, the head ranger at Ol Peat Conservatory in Kenya, interact with the female rhinos, Najin and Fatu. And astonishing to learn that measures are being taken to attempt to impregnate a female rhino with sperm taken from the last male rhino before he died – in the hope that this threatened species can be saved.

It was a very uplifting film and I loved seeing the flocks of pink flamingoes, the nimble Ibex wild goats sure-footedly climbing vertical surfaces in Italy and the tenacity of wild salmon leaping upstream in the Isle of Lewis.  Ed Sayer’s hope is that his ‘global love letter to nature’ will make people care more about the world they live in.  His film certainly brings home to you just how wonderful this world is and the creatures living in it and raises awareness regarding threats to their existence and to the environment.

It’s a powerful and wonderful documentary and was a great choice for GFF’s Community Takeover.

Nicola Scott Programme Manager GFT

It was a most enjoyable, well organised day.  We met up initially to collect tickets and enjoy some tea and coffee at the Multicultural Centre, beside Glasgow Film Theatre in Rose Street.  Nicola Scott,GFT Programme Manager, made sure the entire event ran smoothly; ensuring everyone was clear regarding the schedule for the day and making everyone feel very welcome.

Beth Allan Producer Super Nature

Beth Allan, one of the film’s producers, introduced the film and was around afterwards at Adelaide Place, where we met for lunch after the film. Beth was happy to mix and chat with anyone and rightly very proud of Super Nature.

Mahnaz and Pat

I went along to Adelaide Place with my son John and Mahnaz, a lovely Iranian woman, whom I’d got talking to. She was available to translate for any Farsi speakers

The buffet at Adelaide Place was delicious and looked so appetising. I tried dishes I’d never tasted before, including green vegetable salad with broccoli and sesame seeds. (Catering was by MILK – a social enterprise set up to support women from migrant backgrounds, including refugees and asylum seekers.)

GFF Community Takeover 2026 Adelaide Place

It was marvellous to see every table taken, people enjoying the buffet and engrossed in interesting talks from Mike Rutherford, Hunterian Curator of Zoology, The Hunterian Museum at University of Glasgow and Scottish artist Jules Dunn, who talked about 8mm film and how they/them has used this in their work.

It was an excellent event, so well organised, such a wonderful film – and all for free!

Well done Glasgow Film Festival.

Pat Byrne, March 2026

YouTube Ed Sayers Director and Rebecca  Wolf Producer Super Nature

This section: Cinema, Film reviews, Glasgow Film Festival 2026