Events

Friday 14 August

  • The Democratic Challenge

    Date: Friday 14 August

    Time: 16:30 to 18:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Voter apathy has become a common complaint from political parties. Yet changes could be afoot with overall voting turnout in Scotland at the recent UK general election at 71.1%, with that figure at 85% in the Referendum last year. So is the tide turning? Join Chair John McCormick, Electoral Commissioner, Scotland as he examines the importance of voting […]

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  • What does your Commonwealth do for You?

    Date: Friday 14 August

    Time: 16:30 to 18:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    The Commonwealth today is an association of 53 member countries with nearly 2.5 billion citizens spread across the globe. Detractors perceive it as nothing better than a post-colonial club with very little influence. Its supporters say it promotes democracy, good government, human rights and economic development. Join Chair and former BBC special correspondent Allan Little to discuss the future of […]

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  • 12 Years a Slave - film screening (15)

    Date: Friday 14 August

    Time: 19:30 to 22:15

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    There will be a film screening of 12 Years a Slave followed by a short panel discussion. Panellists include historian Stephen Mullen and Dr Louise Milne, Dept. of Film, School of Creative Arts & Industries, Edinburgh Napier University 12 Years a Slave is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. […]

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  • Scotland and Slavery

    Date: Friday 14 August

    Time: 16:30 to 18:00

    Cost: £8.00/£6.00

    While Scotland likes to promote its role in the abolition of slavery, the uncomfortable truth that Scots were also involved in the earlier exploitation of the practice has been somewhat erased from our history books. What was the real role of Scots in the slave trade and what was the legacy? Sir Tom Devine will […]

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Saturday 15 August

  • Brian Cox in Conversation

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 13:30 to 14:30

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Join the Presiding Officer in conversation with Brian Cox as they explore his hugely successful career on stage and screen. Brian’s career ranges from his critically acclaimed portrayals of Titus Andronicus, Petruchio and King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company to television, radio and many movies including Manhunter, Braveheart, Troy and The Bourne Supremacy. Next […]

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  • What are the Public Service Challenges for Scotland?

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 13:00 to 14:45

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    When the Scottish Parliament was created 15 years ago, Scotland was given full control over key services from health to education and increased control on finance and services. Join Chair and BBC journalist Glenn Campbell and our panel of experts to examine the challenges faced by the public services in a post-referendum Scotland. Panellists include […]

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop – Film Making

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 16:30 to 17:00

    Cost: Free

    This taster session will release the talent of any budding Sofia Coppola or Ron Howard wannabees. Find out how to combine simple technology with fun techniques and communicate through film and animation, courtesy of this educational workshop. You will also get the opportunity to meet one of Into Film’s young film-makers to find out how […]

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  • Cathy MacPhail - award winning author

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 14:00 to 15:00

    Cost: Free

    Cathy MacPhail was born and brought up in Greenock, Scotland, where she still lives. Before becoming a children’s author, she wrote short stories for magazines, comedy programmes for radio and two romantic novels. Cathy was inspired to write her first children’s book after her daughter was bullied at school. Cathy writes spooky thrillers for younger […]

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Performance Poetry

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 15:30 to 16:00

    Cost: Free

    Come along to this one-off workshop on how to be a performance poet. Learn from the best as Rally & Broad aka Jenny Lindsay give a 30 minute master-class on the top-tips of performance poetry.

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Film Making

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 15:00 to 15:30

    Cost: Free

    This taster session will release the talent of any budding Sofia Coppola or Ron Howard wannabees. Find out how to combine simple technology with fun techniques and communicate through film and animation, courtesy of this educational workshop. You will also get the opportunity to meet one of Into Film’s young film-makers to find out how […]

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Vlogging

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 14:30 to 15:00

    Cost: Free

    Are you one of Zoella’s or Pewdiepie’s millions of followers? Do you want to learn how to vlog to get your message out to the world? Come along to one of our workshops and learn about the pros and cons of vlogging, top-tips and how to start creating your own vlog.

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Cartooning

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 16:00 to 16:30

    Cost: Free

    Come along and join Terry Anderson, a leading cartoonist and caricaturist from the Glasgow Scottish Cartoon Art Studio in this bite-sized class and learn from the best on how to develop your cartooning skills.

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  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Film Making

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 14:00 to 14:30

    Cost: Free

    This taster session will release the talent of any budding Sofia Coppola or Ron Howard wannabees. Find out how to combine simple technology with fun techniques and communicate through film and animation, courtesy of this educational workshop. You will also get the opportunity to meet one of Into Film’s young film-makers to find out how […]

    Find Out More

  • Festival Youth Café Workshop - Vlogging

    Date: Saturday 15 August

    Time: 13:30 to 14:00

    Cost: Free

    Are you one of Zoella’s or Pewdiepie’s millions of followers? Do you want to learn how to vlog to get your message out to the world? Come along to one of our workshops and learn about the pros and cons of vlogging, top-tips and how to start creating your own vlog.

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Sunday 16 August

  • China as a Global Super Power

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 16:30 to 18:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    According to Deutsche Bank, China could account for a larger share of global GDP than any other country in the next 5 years and knock America off its perch as the world’s biggest economy. What is the basis of this prediction and how will China and America respond? Will China want to be the new super power […]

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  • Anti-Apartheid

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 15:30 to 17:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Join Chair Bernard Ponsonby, Political Editor, STV to reflect on the British Anti-Apartheid movement and discuss contemporary South Africa following the end of Apartheid. Panellists include Dr Brian Filling, Honorary Consul for South Africa; Mr Daniel Oliphant, Counsellor at the South African High Commission; and Jean McFadden, former Leader of Glasgow City Council.

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  • What is the Impact of Rising Food Prices?

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 15:30 to 17:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Britain imports around 40% of the food it consumes so is at the mercy of global price rises. Our panel of experts will discuss the new phenomenon of “the malnourished obese”. What is the link between cheap food and poor health? Join Chair Cate Devine, Food and Feature Writer, The Herald, and panellists Dr Alan Rowe, Rowett Institute of Nutrition […]

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  • The History of the Potato

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 14:00 to 15:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Dr Glenn Bryan leads the Potato Genetics and Breeding group at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee and was a participant in both the potato and tomato genome sequencing projects. He teams up with World Kitchen in Leith, for a unique event that will present both an illustrated talk tracing the potato’s roots from Peru to its contemporary use in […]

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  • Migration

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 13:30 to 15:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    How we engage with migration reflects on us as a society. How do we respond to people who are looking to live, work, study and seek refuge in Scotland? Join Chair Dr Ima Jackson, Glasgow Caledonian University and Glasgow Refugee and Migration Network, to discuss what Scotland’s political, civic and cultural voice should be in relation to migration. Panellists include Lilja Gretarsdottir, […]

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  • How has Latin America influenced the USA?

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 13:00 to 14:30

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    The Hispanic population in the USA exceeded 50 million at the start of 2011. As a group who have traditionally under-participated at the polling booth, the number of eligible voters has doubled in the last 15 years and over one million young Hispanics turn 18 this year, which means potentially one million new voters ready to […]

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  • Defining the 2014 Scottish Referendum on Television

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 11:30 to 13:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    How did television news explain what the 2014 Scottish Referendum was about? Dr Marina Dekavalla, University of Stirling, will discuss findings from her study (supported by the ESRC Future Research Leaders scheme) in this session chaired by Mandy Rhodes, Editor, Holyrood Magazine, with panellists Bernard Ponsonby, Political Editor, STV, Sarah Smith, Presenter of Scotland 2015, and Professor Neil Blain, University of […]

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  • Well fed? How our Food Choices Impact on our Health and Planet

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 11:30 to 13:00

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    In a world where we are bombarded with often conflicting messages about our diets, is this new information actually making us healthier? Can we cut through the media hype and make wise choices about the food we eat? Join Chair Dr Alan Rowe, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen, and our panellists to talk about the […]

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  • Made in Dagenham - film screening (15)

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 19:00 to 21:30

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    There will be a film screening of Made in Dagenham followed by a short panel discussion. Panellists include Dr Roberta McGrath, Associate Lecturer in Photographic Theory and Criticism at Edinburgh Napier University and Dr Piotr Jaworski, lecturer in Economics, Strategy and Operations with the School of Management at Edinburgh Napier University Made in Dagenham is a 2010 British film […]

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  • Workers’ Rights in the 21st Century – do we need them?

    Date: Sunday 16 August

    Time: 11:00 to 12:30

    Cost: £6.00/£4.00

    Although they have been synonymous with industrialization for more than a hundred years, detractors believe unions are outmoded institutions whose role has been pre-empted in the 21st century by labour laws, better human resource management and an increasingly educated and mobile workforce. Yet many believe we still need a fairness and voice in the workplace. […]

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