Film cash helps put defector Stasi spy in picture

THE story of one of the most notable defectors of the Cold War is to be made into a documentary by a Scottish-based film maker.

Scott Calonico, based in Edinburgh, is to make a film about Werner Stiller, an East German Stasi agent who defected to the west in 1979.

The film, called The Spy Who Left Me, is told through the eyes of the son he left behind.

The film has received funding from Creative Scotland as part of its latest round of “open” funding, worth £1.2m.

After Stiller defected, he became a successful broker and investment banker.

Before his defection, he had worked for seven years with the Ministry For State Security’s foreign intelligence service before turning to the West.

The film is among 55 latest awards made by the funding body, including backing for individual artists, musicians, dancers, writers, theatre makers, and festivals.

In literature, the Borders Book Festival, Coastword, West Dumbartonshire Festival of Words and the Saltire Society’s virtual literary festival ScotLitFest, have received awards to support this year’s programmes.

Novelists Meaghan Delahunt, Rachael Stephen and Ever Dundas have received funding towards new work, while The Dark Horse journal of poetry, reviewing and criticism.

Sarah Mason, programme director at the Saltire Society, said: “We are delighted to be, with the support of Creative Scotland, running Scotland’s largest online literary festival again.

“2016 saw ScotLitFest reach 3.2 million people in its first weekend and we hope to build on this in 2017.”