Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival starts today! Films for all tastes (‘from the foodies to the fanatics!’), primary and secondary school screenings, gastronomic evening and opening and closing events. Today’s films, both showing at Filmhouse, Lothian Road, are;
(1) at 6pm: Sinsombrero (U) (in Spanish with English subtitles). The ‘generation of ’27’ and its most relevant figures – Dalí, Buñuel, Lorca… – are well known, but alongside the men there was a very talented, creative and successful group of women who equalled their male counterparts throughout years of creative explosion and civil liberties that would transform Spain’s history forever. Gradually, however, these women were forgotten during Franco’s reign. Sinsombrero recovers their memory. This evening’s screening will be followed by The Forgotten Women of the Generation of ’27, a talk by director Tania Balló. Also showing at 12.45pm on Saturday 3rd October, when the screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Tania Balló and Serrana Torres;
(2) at 8.15pm: The Unexpected Life/La vida inesperada (12A): (in Spanish and English with English subtitles). Juanito is a Spanish actor living in New York. His career doesn’t take off; he is getting older and carries on performing in small Spanish plays whilst working as a waiter in a Spanish deli. When he receives a visit from his apparently successful cousin, Jorge, he will have to confront his reality. Followed by a Q&A with screenwriter Elvira Lindo.
Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary.
Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival Inauguration Party: a complimentary gin & tonic and tapa with your cinema ticket, courtesy of Valentia Gin and the Traverse bar. 10-11pm, Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street.
Priyanka: Limitless. Ageing in our society can often mean being ignored and seen as having nothing to give; for people ageing with severe learning disabilities this is often just more of what their whole life has been. This exhibition intends to challenge all our assumptions; the artists are using their gift of creativity to shout out loud and communicate to us all, ‘I am here, I am alive, I am special and there are no limits’. Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square. Ends 4th October 2015. Please contact venue for opening times.
Lunchtime Concert: La Honor de Miengo Choir, Spain. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
The Autumn Herbalist: Aromatic Remedies. Social sessions inspired by the Garden, for people affected by dementia, their friends, relatives and supporters. Sessions include sensory activities and informal chat with refreshments. 10.30am-12.30pm, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. To book please call 0131 248 2981. This event is part of the Garden Social Programme October 2015 – March 2016
After School Crafts: for children aged 0-12 (children under 8 years must be accompanied by an adult). 2pm today and every Friday, Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue. All welcome: for more information please speak to a member of staff, call 0131 529 5558 or email portobello.library@edinburgh.gov.uk.
The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh – Two New Exhibitions:
(1) Norman Ackroyd – St Kilda to Muckle Flugga. Over the past 40 years, Norman Ackroyd RA (Senior Fellow, Royal College of Art) has been repeatedly drawn to some of Scotland’s most magical, remote and rugged islands. Working on site, often in challenging weather conditions, the artist makes records of the seas, the rocks, the skies and the birds. This exhibition consists of watercolours from A Shetland Notebook and etchings from 3 different bodies of work produced over the last few years. Highlights from the show include images of the mysterious Flannan Islands; Sula Sgeir – an island where gannets are still harvested for food, and the fertile North Rona with its famous early St Ronan’s church. ‘St. Kilda to Muckle Flugga is roughly the same distance as Edinburgh to London – but is a road much less travelled by’ (Norman Ackroyd).
(2) The Glasgow Boys: a select exhibition of Glasgow Boy paintings by artists central to the group and others who, inspired by the vanguard’s daring and rejection of the establishment, followed them. Inspired by the painters of the Barbizon, the Hague School and French Impressionism, these artists worked in a modern European way. The show runs concurrently with the Scottish National Gallery’s exhibition, Arthur Melville: Adventures in Colour which The Fine Art Society is supporting.
Both shows open 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-2pm Saturdays, The Fine Art Society, 6 Dundas Street. St Kilda to Muckle Flugga ends 31st October 2015, with The Glasgow Boys continuing until 14th November 2015.
Friends Electric: a magical story from Visible Fictions about a spark of connection between a human and a robot. Discover what makes you human, how our hearts can take over our brains and how our brains can do amazing things! For everyone aged 7 or over. 1.30-2.30pm, followed by a workshop at 3pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Advance booking is required: free tickets may be obtained from WHALE in person, by calling 0131 458 3267 or by emailing info@whalearts.co.uk. Glasgow-based Visible Fictions have been creating innovative and dynamic theatrical productions for young people of all ages and adults for 22 years.
Alison Turnbull: Another Green World. An exhibition of drawings and photographs by the acclaimed contemporary artist, celebrating the launch of her new publication: ‘Another Green World – Linn Botanic Gardens: Encounters with a Scottish Arcadia‘. 10am-4.45pm (closes 3.45pm November-January), Gateway Gallery, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Ends 31st January 2016.
The Last Yankee: to celebrate the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth, Rapture Theatre presents one of the legendary writer’s last great plays. Leroy Hamilton is a descendant of one of America’s founding fathers but his modest life as a carpenter has left him estranged from his wife Patricia, who is in hospital and recovering from depression. 
Over the course of a single day, Leroy and Patricia attempt to come to terms with their situation and take a tentative step towards reconciliation. Depicting the devastating consequences of failing to live up to the American Dream, The Last Yankee is humorous and ultimately uplifting, classic Miller. 7.30-9pm, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 560 1580 or online here. 
Also at 3pm and 7.30pm on Saturday 3rd October. Part of SMHAFF – the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015.
Nuf Said: with a unique sound ranging from funk to jazz, soul, hip hop, R&B and more, this UK-touring, NYC-based electric 5-piece is fronted by vocals and sax and has performed across the US as well as China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4. Please note this venue is strictly cash only.
World War One Propaganda. At the outbreak of the war, the Government introduced censorship of newspapers under the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) 1914 and also established the War Propaganda Bureau. In this talk Yvonne McEwen will address the means by which the Government carried out the control of information and the public’s response to the restrictions. Yvonne is Project Director of Scotland’s War Project, which is a partnership of the University of Edinburgh, the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh City Libraries, the Scottish Military Research Group and 20 Councils throughout Scotland. She is also an Honorary Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Modern Conflict at the University of Edinburgh. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.
Midlothian Science Festival starts today! A packed programme of events – many of them free – for all ages, including bats, bees, bubble shows, the science of the paranormal, book readings, jellyfish, drawing workshops, dancing sessions, a brewing tour, cycling, stargazing, medieval medicine, the famous Science Alive Gala Day, Park In The Dark, and lots more – don’t miss the science of cakes and Build A Biscuit City! For full details and to download the festival programme, click here. Events take place at venues throughout the area and the festival runs until 17th October 2015.
Portobello Book Festival 2015: On The Trail of John Muir. Drawing inspiration from local hero John Muir’s ability to capture a sense of place, storyteller Beth Cross explores stories and memories that convey this. 12.30-1.30pm, Portobello Library (upstairs), 14 Rosefield Avenue. Free but tickets are required and may be collected from the library in advance. Some tickets may be available 15 minutes before the start of the event.
Balerno Village Screen: Whiplash (15) A young and talented drummer attending a prestigious music academy finds himself under the wing of the most respected professor at the school, one who does not hold back on abuse towards his students. The two form an odd relationship as the student wants to achieve greatness and the professor pushes him to do so. This screening forms part of the 2015 Balerno Music Festival; pre-film entertainment will be provided by dark folk band Holm who will be playing from 7pm, so please come early if you would like to hear their performance. 7.30pm, Ogston Hall, Balerno Parish Church, Main Street, Balerno. Free tickets are available from the Mill Cafe and Balerno Post Office or via eventbrite here. Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema, free to attend and funded by donations. If you can no longer attend after booking, please cancel your ticket to allow someone else to see the film.
Sea Bass Kid + Mickey 9s: Edinburgh band Sea Bass Kid launch their second album Like The Fish, showcasing their original take on reggae, blues, ska and funk, ‘bringing honest music back to honest people with their energetic and memorable live shows’. Supported by Glaswegians Mickey 9s (The Party Manifesto). Over 18s only. Doors open 7pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £7 (booking fee applies) and are available from Tickets Scotland here.
Lindsey Black + Alex Cornish + DJ Dolphin Boy: Edinburgh singer Lindsey launches her debut single, The Wonder of You, a re-recording from her acclaimed album, Raise A Storm, ‘…the sound of a pure Edinburgh talent: sinuous, singular melodies and soulful serenity, couched in the finest playing and clearest production’ (Eliza Carthy). Dunbar singer Alex Cornish has home-produced four critically acclaimed albums, ‘a voice to stand comparison to Thom Yorke’ (The Scotsman on Sunday), ‘..a beautiful album that has Mercury Music Prize nomination written all over it’ (The Sunday Times). Dolphin Boy is a well loved figure in festival circles and a well known face behind the decks at parties in odd and far-flung places. For over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £5 (booking fee applies) and are available from Skiddle here.
RNT in association with Dead Sheep Comedy Present Scott Gibson: Life After Death. Gibson’s debut show, which sold out with rave reviews at this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival, explores the life-changing experience that put him on the path to comedy. It’s a story of pain, love, laughter and Blackpool. ‘Gibson mixes a conversational style with his own unique brand of dark humour, confidently leading his audience down a path few dare to tread’. For over 18s only. 8pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Changeling: a new exhibition of art and fashion illustration by Leith-based artist Ruth Marnie (aka Goat-boots). Launch 7pm tonight with nibbles and bubbly, then during usual opening hours, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Ends 5th November 2015.
Portobello Book Festival 2015: Opening Event – Inheritance. Join host David Francis for the festival’s grand opening event, which includes performances of original and established writing in all shapes and forms. Special guest author and songwriter Doug Johnstone will be joined by local actress Sybil Bacica, The Blue Moon Travellers and the Lothian B-us Male Voice Choir. Refreshments will be available! 8-10.30pm, Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue. Free but tickets are required and may be collected from the library in advance. Some tickets may be available 15 minutes before the start of the event.
Poor Things + Min Diesel + Andrew R Burns & The Tropicanas: indie rock, ‘mindie-rock’ and lo-fi dream-pop from Glasgow, Perth, Aberdeen and Livingston. 7pm, Henry’s Cellar Bar, 16a Morrison Street.
Substance 9th Birthday: Mono Junk (live) + Residents. A rare live show from legendary Finnish Renaissance man Kimmo Rapatti aka Mono Junk. Rapatti helped pioneer raw, minimalistic techno from 1992 alongside Robert Hood, Daniel Bell and Basic Channel, going on to produce a diverse range of machine music across a number of styles, aliases and groups and recently making a storming comeback, with lots of new material in the pipeline. Substance opens its doors to all for a wide ranging night of classic and cutting edge dance music. 11pm-3am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Admission £7/£6. The Bongo Club is owned by local arts charity Out of the Blue; ‘putting the sounds of the underground and imaginative aspirations before the mighty dollar and encouraging the community to get involved and use the space to do their own thing’.
Alex Kolkowski and Grey Area. Aleks is a sound artist, violinist and composer with a special interest in early sound recording and reproduction technology; he was the first ever sound artist-in-residence at the Science Museum, London. He will perform Christian Wolff – For 1,2 or 3 People (1964), Aleks Kolkowski and Sean Williams – Test-Tone Battle, and group improvisation featuring Grey Area. 8pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free and unticketed.
