The ninth edition, which closed with the UK premiere of Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, recorded a 12% rise on 2012 figures.

Glasgow Film Festival has notched a record amount of admissions for its ninth edition, which closed last night [Feb 24] with the UK premiere of Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing and the director in attendance.

This year’s edition attracted 39,106 admissions over its programme of 368 screenings, panel discussions, live performances and special events. From the start of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival on Feb 3, the festival saw over 300 filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, musicians, performers and distributors visiting Glasgow.

Among the numerous sold-out events, the closing Gala screening saw festival co-directors Allison Gardner and Allan Hunter “warmly thank” the major partners of the festival - Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, EventScotland and Creative Scotland - before introducing Whedon to a rapturous reception (echoed for the post-screening Q&A).

Introducing his film, Whedon commented: “Thank you Allan and Alison for including us at all, let alone letting us close it out. It’s a huge thing for us.

“I think you may see - when you see the film - that we really had no idea if anyone was ever actually going to see it. We just wanted to do something that we loved, and what we loved was this text.”

He concluded by joking: “Obviously you guys are seeing it four months in advance so please don’t leak any spoilers.”

Other guests at the 2013 edition included actors Gemma Arterton, James D’Arcy, Saoirse Ronan, James Cosmo, Eli Roth and David Hayman, as well as directors such as Neil Jordan, Rob Savage, Regis Roinsard (whose film Populaire opened the film on Feb 14), Annie Griffin and Yasmin Fedda.

Gardner said: “This festival is all about delivering magical events for our audience and from Jane Birkin on the eve of the festival to Joss Whedon at the Closing Gala, it has been filled with unforgettable moments.”

New strands at this year’s festival included Game Cats Go Miaow, which celebrated the relationship between cinema and computer gaming, while long-running strand Kapow! saw around 600 fans queuing from 6.30am for a ticket to a Game of Thrones screening and Q&A with actor Rory McCann.

“Glasgow Film Festival is the result of a huge team effort in which every single person plays a vital role,” added Hunter. “We cherish them all and look forward to working with partners old and new as we prepare to celebrate our tenth anniversary in 2014.”

Dates for the 2014 edition of Glasgow Film Festival will be confirmed in the coming months.