Cliù – for Tiree High School and some Highland Gentlemen

FILMG, MG ALBA’s Gaelic short film competition, has announced the shortlist for this year’s competition, with budding filmmakers, community groups and school groups from around the country making the final cut.

This year’s FilmG theme, ‘Cliù’ (Fame/ Reputation) inspired an array of new ideas and stories from filmmakers, making it an exciting yet difficult job for the panel to pick out the best from this year’s entries.

The panels comprised of a variety of directors, producers and scriptwriters currently working in the industry. They included Angus Mackay, director of Corran Media Productions, based in Stornoway.

Angus has previously been on the panel and was very impressed with this year’s films.

He said: ‘FilmG is a fantastic competition that’s fulfilling a very important function in encouraging both amateurs and young professionals to make more films in Gaelic. I was greatly encouraged by the rise in the overall quality of entries since I last served as a judge – that in itself is a great testament to FilmG’s success.

‘This year’s entries show that we have young people in the industry with great development potential, but also that there are people in the wider Gaelic community who already have the talent to produce compelling content of their own. I would warmly encourage them to continue to use and develop these talents.’

Amongst those with talent worth developing are the pupils of Tiree High School. Pupils across all the years who were interested in making a Gaelic short came together and produced a fantastic film which has been shortlisted for both the ‘Best Production’ and the ‘Best Film’. In their film Làmhan

Glana (Clean Hands), Raonaid has been accused of her best friend’s murder and questions whether a person’s reputation really reflects who they are.

Taking a hilarious swipe at CalMac over the Uist-Mallaig ferry situation is traditional music

band, The League of Highland Gentlemen. Their film Seachdain

gun Seòladh (A Week without Sailing) follows the ferry, the ‘Loch Never’, which travels between Mallaig Street and Uist Street in Glasgow but for various reasons never makes it to its final destination.

All the shortlisted films are now available to view online from the FilmG website, where all the entries in this year’s competition can also be viewed.

The winners will be announced at the prestigious FilmG awards ceremony, which takes place at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow on Friday February 19.