The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Rare films will be screened Tour footage will show pivotal role of fishing in Scottish history
A series of rare films which showcase fishing communities in the north-east will be screened across Scotland this summer.
The touring programme – Made by the Sea – will reveal myriad clips of drama and derring-do on Scottish fishing boats and highlight how the sea has played a pivotal part in so much of Scotland’s history.
Some of the films, which will be on public show at this year’s Portsoy Boat Festival, date as far back as 1908.
These include accounts of village life in Portsoy, Cullen and Aberchirder in the 1950s and footage of King George VI’s coronation in Laurencekirk.
Curator Shona Thomson said: “I’m excited to be out on the road again showing archive films in coastal communities where the footage was originally shot and is still relevant today.
“From warships sailing into 1950s Ullapool to the important work of the RNLI lifeboats in the treacherous Pentland Firth, portrayals of life on and near the sea have often been dramatic.
“But Made by the Sea audiences can expect the lighter side too, with fabulous seaside holidays on the
“Portrayals of life on the sea have often been dramatic”
west coast and television’s legendary wanderer Tom Weir exploring the island of Vatersay near Barra.”
This special trip back to the past will be showcased at the boat festival on Sunday, June 25, before travelling to venues in Ullapool, Tobermory, Johnshaven, Thurso and the Isle of Barra.
The event in Portsoy is included with the price of admission to the boat festival, which traditionally attracts thousands of visitors.
Tickets for other screenings across Scotland must be booked online www.madebythesea.net
The Made by the Sea initiative has been made possible through the British Film Institute’s laborious efforts to digitise the UK’s at archive of regional and national movies.
A spokeswoman confirmed that more than 600 films nationwide have been opened up to local communities through the scheme.
And, with the Scottish coast still playing a significant part in the country’s economic health, these works will have a resonance wherever they are shown. A schoolgirl seriously injured in the Manchester bomb attack is making “small yet steady progress”, her family have said.
Laura MacIntyre is now able to eat and drink without a feeding tube but has a long road of recovery ahead, her parents Michael and Nan MacIntyre said.
The 15-year-old, from the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, was seriously injured in the terrorist attack at the Ariana Grande concert on Monday, May 22.
Her friend, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, a fellow pupil at Castlebay Community School on Barra, was one of 22 people who died in the bombing at Manchester Arena.
Eilidh’s funeral was held on the island on Monday, June 5.