The 13th Glasgow Film Festival got under way this week with a sellout opening gala featuring the European premiere of Irish comedy-drama Handsome Devil.

The screening of the movie at the Glasgow Film Theatre starring Sherlock and Spectre actor Andrew Scott marked the start of an 11-day celebration of film and one of the festival’s biggest-ever programmes.

Directed by John Butler, the coming-of-age film follows two schoolboy opposites who are forced to share a bedroom at their boarding school, forming an unlikely friendship until it is tested by the authorities.

Speaking on the red carpet, Butler said the movie was based on his own personal schoolboy experiences.

He said: “It’s a modern story set in the here and now but it’s certainly based on my own experience and childhood and pretty much of every boy who goes to a single-sex school and deals with these pressures so it’s definitely autobiographical in some parts.”

The festival will also cater for music fans

Speaking of the importance of homegrown films, Butler said they were “vital” to a country’s sense of identity, cultural recognition, tourism industry and economy.

The Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) features more than 300 events and screenings, showcasing more than 180 movies from 38 countries.

It will feature nine world and international premieres, three European premieres, 65 UK premieres and 67 Scottish premieres.

David Tennant will bring the curtain down on the festival on February 26 with the world premiere of his latest movie Mad to be Normal, about a pioneering Scottish psychiatrist.

On February 22, the festival will stage the world premiere of Benny, the story of Benny Lynch, widely considered the greatest boxer Scotland has ever produced.

The festival will also cater for music fans, with the sold-out screening of Lost in France at Sauchiehall Street’s O2 ABC looking at the rise of Scotland’s independent music scene and bands such as Mogwai, Arab Strap and Franz Ferdinand.

There will also be a live performance from Scottish stars including Alex Kapranos and Stuart Braithwaite.

About 40,000 people attended the 2016 festival, with organisers expecting a similar audience this year.