Heartland Film Society presents….
Whilst we await the appearance of details of this year’s festival, here is the report of what was on offer last year (24th/25th November 2007) to whet your appetite .......
Film Festival Rings The Bell
The Loch Ness monster was unmasked, real and imagined Gaelic folk tales were brought to life and the hidden skills of the documentary maker were unveiled when Aberfeldy played host to a Scottish Film Weekend on 24/25 November. Organised by Heartland Film Society and supported by Dewar’s World of Whisky, the weekend got off to a ringing start at the Locus Centre when the fire alarm went off bang on the 11 o’clock start.
The audience spilled into The Square while we frantically searched for the off switch but, after a short delay, John Swinney MSP and Elisabeth Quigley snapped the Clapperboard on Take1 of the Festival - 'Incident at Loch Ness'.
It’s an intriguing film involving the controversial award-winning director Werner Herzog. Made in 2004 but never released in the UK, it’s a documentary within a drama; mysterious, sinister, and occasionally downright funny, following Herzog and a documentary team as they try to unravel the secret of Loch Ness.
A very satisfying opening to the Festival with plenty to talk about and a high entertainment factor.
Next up in the afternoon was a selection of eight Scottish Shorts, hosted by Dewar’s World of Whisky in their opulent auditorium at Aberfeldy Distillery. These Shorts, from 30 seconds to 10 minutes long, were made by young Scottish filmmakers on the first rungs of the film industry ladder. An HFS jury selected the cream of the crop and Stuart Swales assembled them into a 45-minute sequence. Peter Guthrie of Dewar’s introduced them and they were screened at 3.30 and again at 4.30 for a new audience. Dewar’s generously donated a prize, the Palme Dewar, for the best short film, as voted for by the audience.
The inaugural winner was ‘Ujbaz Izbeneki Has Lost His Soul’ a very entertaining animation directed by Neil Jack (on the left above) and produced by Cameron Fraser (on the right) from Ko Lik Films in Edinburgh.
The main festival event took place in the Town Hall where an audience of more than eighty watched a screening of the BAFTA nominated Gaelic film, just out on general release, 'Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle'.
The film was preceded by a Scottish supper of venison, lamb or vegetarian stovies (some had all three) cooked by Fayre and Square, with a bar managed by Peter Guthrie of Dewar’s. Peter presented the inaugural Palme Dewar (a litre of 12 year old Aberfeldy malt) then the award winning Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir set the mood for Seachd with a selection of Gaelic songs.
'Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle' is the tale of a young boy, whose parents have been killed in a climbing accident, growing into manhood on Skye in the care of his grandparents. The struggle between new and old cultures, rebellious youth and caring age is sensitively and satisfyingly explored. And it echoes Herzog’s question about reality and truth. It was a satisfying and thought provoking end to day one of the Festival.
Sunday Morning with David Peat was in many ways the best event of the Festival. We didn’t watch a movie. Instead we got a master class in documentary filmmaking, given with enthusiasm and flair by one of the foremost documentary makers in the UK. Using clips from the extensive archive of his own work, David took us through the triumphs and pitfalls of working in the field. What came over strongly was the need for honesty and integrity from the programme maker. A welcome contrast to some of the sordid compromises that both BBC and ITV have exhibited recently.
An enjoyable Festival? Yes, certainly. Successful? Financially we almost broke even. We could have done with more of an audience, but with the “first” of anything, it’s always difficult to get folk to turn out. Do it again? We want to - and we want more of you to come next time.
Thanks are due to Explore Aberfeldy, Peter Guthrie and Dewar’s World of Whisky, Kevin Ramage and The Watermill for handling advance ticket sales; and to The Gaelic Choir for their beautiful musical contribution.
