March to the cinema

Clockwise from top: Stalker, Life Is Sacred, The Mafia Only Kills In Summer, Piccadilly, Who Killed Bambi?, I Am Michael

The first major festivals of the year have already been delivered in Berlin and Sundance - with an honorable mention deserving to go to our own up-and-comer Glasgow - and now things are starting to hot up on the festival circuit in time for spring. Whether you're hankering for spot of Spanish sunshine or Italian romance, a short cut or a documentary to get you thinking, there is probably something for you. Here's a round-up of what's coming up:

Viva Film Festival (March 5-9) - Manchester's annual celebration of Spanish language cinema has been split into three separate showcases this year, beginning with the Viva Weekender. The fun starts with comedy of errors Who Killed Bambi? (¿Quién mató a Bambi?) on Friday, introduced by director Santi Amodeo, and will feature the award-winning María And Spider (María y el Araña) and gritty drama Aces (Os Fenomenos). For tickets and times, visit the official site.

Cinema Made In Italy (Mach 5-9) - Londoners can catch up with the latest cinema from Italy at the Ciné Lumière in South Kensington this weekend. The eight films screening include black comedy The Mafia Only Kills In Summer - followed by a Q&A with director Pif (or Pierfrancesco Diliberto, as his mum calls him) and screenwriter Michel Astori and family drama Quiet Bliss, attended by director Edoardo Winspeare and actress Celeste Casciaro. For details visit the box office.

Italian Film Festival (March 6-19) - Cinemagoers north of the Border get a chance to sample an even bigger selection of Itlaian films courtesy of the 22nd edition of this much-loved festival. Featuring several of the films showing at the London showcase - and a lot more besides - the festival will run at Edinburgh Filmhouse, Glasgow Film Theatre, Inverness Eden Court and Dundee Contemporary Arts Cinema. Highlights include a focus on Francesco Rosi, who died earlier this year, including rare copes of Illustrious Corpses and The Mattei Affair. Full details from the official site.

Glasgow Short Film Festival (March 11-15) - Spreading its wings away from the main Glasgow Film Festival, this short film celebration has now moved to March. Highlights will include the international and Scottish competition shorts, plus there are events such as a parent and baby screening. Guests attending include Better Things director Duane Hopkins, who will lead a master class on directing actors. We'll be bringing you more coverage from this soon. Read about the full programme on the official site.

Hippodrome Festival of Silent Cinema (March 18-22) - This little gem of a festival celebrates the best of the silver screen classics, accompanied by live music. It will open with a double-bill featuring Kevin Macdonald's documentary about Charlie Chaplin's sidekick Kevin Campbell - Chaplin's Goliath and the actor's final work for Chaplin, The Adventurer. Other highlights include Children Of No Importance (Die Unehelichen) by influential German director Gerhard Lamprecht and featuring live accompaniment by Richard Seidhoff, and melodrama Piccadily, with live accompaniment by Stephen Horne. Several events are already sold out, so get your skates on over at the official site.

Human Rights Watch Film Festival (March 18-27) - The annual celebration of activism from around the globe will screen films at The British Museum, Curzon Soho, Barbican and Ritzy Brixton in London. Among the highlights are the UK premiere of Wim Wenders' and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's The Salt Of The Earth, featuring a post-screening discussion with photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale, and the European premiere of Marcia Tambutti Allende's personal documentary Beyond My Grandfather Allende. For tickets and times visit the box office.

BFI Flare (March 19-29) - This London-based LGBT festival promises "the best queer cinema from around the world" and kicks off with I Am Michael - a drama based on the true story of a prominent gay rights activist who renounced his homosexuality. The festival - now in its 29th year - features a mixture of feature and documentary films, including The New Girlfriend and Dior And I. For tickets and times, visit the official site.

Glitch (March 19-28) - Declaring "We are a glitch in the system", this Glasgow-based showcase - screening at the CCA - is described as a "queer/trans/intersex/people of colour" festival. All films are subtitled and they are, so far as we know, the only festival this month offering free haircuts. For more details visit the official site.

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (March 19-29) - This Irish event will present 120 films at this year's edition. Opening with The Price Of Desire, about the later life of Irish architect Eileen Gray, other highlights include Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice and American indies A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night and Listen Up Philip. There is also a section dedicated to Irish film, featuring films including Coming Home and Let Us Prey. Further details on the official site

The Auteur Film Festival (March 27-April 2) - Wrapping up the month in style comes this showcase of classics at Curzon Bloomsbury in London. Among the highlights are Stalker, Distant Vioces, Still Lives, and Suspiria. For full details and tickets, visit the box office

And, across the Pond...

There are plenty of additional festivals happening Stateside, including documentary celebration True/False in Colombia, Missouri (March 5-8, official site), indie darling SXSW (March 13-21, official site) in Austin, Texas, New York's Rendez-Vous With French Cinema (March 6-15, official site), and MoMA's annual celebration of up-and-coming talent New Directors/New Films also in New York (March 18-29, official site) - more about that coming later this month.