Pics n Mix is a three day celebration of live music, cinema, theatre and conversation and it will take place at Leith’s Biscuit Factory from 19 – 21 November 2021.

The highlights include a live set of new songs and Big Country covers from Stuart Adamson’s daughter Kirsten Adamson, the World Premiere of a new vision of music TV from Callum Easter, late night dance sessions from Ramrock Records’ Joseph Malik and Daniel Walls aka Digital Liquid and DJ Miss World and live poetry and rap by Intercultural Youth Scotland.

Recent Scottish cinema hits Limbo and Our Ladies will be shown on the big screen and cult Scottish classics and archive documentaries. 

LeithLate founder Morvern Cunningham said:“I’m delighted with the multi-arts programme Erin and I have put together for LeithLate’s upcoming 3-day event Pics n Mix. Leithers of all kinds will be represented on screen and on stage at the Biscuit Factory, and I’m really proud to have had a part in bringing this to life. Programming the films for Pics n Mix has been a total joy, with the resulting programme a personal love letter from me to Leith, and to LeithLate. I hope that lots of Leithers (and non-Leithers) come out to celebrate our wee part of the world, which, like everywhere else in the last 18 months, has had to ‘persevere’ – like Leith’s motto!”

Tickets are priced on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale and are on sale now

The programme has been unveiled for Pics n Mix, LeithLate’s new three day event taking place at the Biscuit Factory 19 – 21 November.

What’s On

Friday 19 November 

  • An archive screening of Lucy Enfield’s 1993 short doc The X in Scotland, examining the influence of Malcolm X in Scotland. Followed by a Q&A hosted by Intercultural Youth Scotland with co-writer and musician Joseph Malik and poet and performer Kokumo Rocks and inspiring live poetry and rap performances from some IYS members.  (2pm – 4pm)
  • A showing of the 2021 BAFTA-nominated Leith-shot short film Harmonic Spectrum, which follows local musician Sean Logan as he uses the piano to navigate life on the Autistic Spectrum. Following the screening, Sean will perform an exclusive live concert (5pm – 6.30pm)
  • The euphoric Scottish rave culture movie Beats on the big screen, followed by a Callum Easter TV Special take-over with the world premiere of Callum’s “Saturday Night Variety Show” filmed in the depths of the gothic city of Edinburgh, a vision of how music TV could be if powered by absinthe,  love and self-disgust. Ramrock Records’ Joseph Malik and Daniel Walls aka Digital Liquid will then bring the party home with a funk-filled DJ set til late. (7.30pm-late)

Saturday 20 November

  • The founders of Edinburgh’s first LGBTQ+ bookshop Lavender Menace, Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr, chat with playwright James Ley (who’s award-winning Love Song To Lavender Menace was inspired by their story) about Edinburgh’s queer histrory and future. Featuring an archive screening of STV’s 1983 documentary about gay life in Scotland Coming Out and a live spoken word performance by Gray Crosbie. (12pm-1.30pm)
  • A screening of the groundbreaking BBC documentary Choose Life, examining Edinburgh during the decade the city had the unenviable title of ‘the AIDS capital of Europe’, followed by a Q&A with the production team (2pm-3.30pm)
  • An intimate live gig from Edinburgh singer-songwriter Kirsten Adamson, who will be performing new original tracks alongside covers from her late father Stuart’s band Big Country, which she has been rediscovering throughout lockdown. Following Kirsten’s set there is the rare chance to watch the Scottish cult classic 1980s road movie crime caper  Restless Natives on the big screen, featuring a blistering soundtrack from Big Country. (4.30pm-7pm)
  • Actor Tallulah Grieves introduces a special screening of the riotous coming-of-age movie Our Ladies, following a group of Catholic school girls as they visit Edinburgh from Fort William for the first time for a choir competition. Following the screening, DJ Miss World will keep the 90s classics coming with a smashing dance-alicious set. (7.30pm-late)

Sunday 21 November 

  • A family-friendly screening of the animated fantasy film Oran Na Mara, in Gaelic with English subtitles. The feature will be preceded by some short films by Edinburgh-based animator Cat Bruce. (1pm-2.30pm)
  • An archive screening of the ever-popular 1988 documentary Leithers, introduced by the director Alistair Scott and followed by an informal chat about Leith’s past, present and future. (4pm-5.30pm)
  • A showing of the BAFTA-nominated critically-acclaimed Limbo, by Edinburgh-based director Ben Sharrock. Set on an unnamed Scottish island (actual location North Uist), this moving dark comedy follows the journey of Syrian Omar as he awaits the result of his asylum request. Preceded by Laura Wadha’s short documentary Isle of Us, following a Syrian barber making a new life for himself and his family on the Isle of Arran and followed by a talk from Leith’s Multi-Cultural Family Base which Ben and Limbo star Amir El-Masry visited for insight into the refugee experience whilst making the film. (6.30pm-8.30pm)

Tickets on sale now at www.leithlate.co.uk.

All tickets are priced on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale. LeithLate’s Pics n Mix event programme is supported by The City of Edinburgh Council, Baillie Gifford, Event Scotland’s Event Recovery Fund, and the Film Exhibition Fund distributed by Film Hub Scotland.

Phyllis Stephen
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.