Record number enter Gaelic movie contest
AGAELIC Short Film Competition, FilmG, has received a recordbreaking amount of entries from Gaelic film-makers across Scotland.
In total, 103 entries were submitted, including 23 films to the open category, 75 films made by young people aged five to 18, and five scripts.
The competition is now wellestablished in schools and with Gaelic speakers and filmmakers across the country, and voting for The People’s Choice Award is open until the end of January.
Shortlists chosen by a panel of media professionals will be announced this month, with the winners revealed on February 14.
This year filmmakers were tasked with making films relating to the theme “Treòraich,” which means guide or lead.
Glasgow-based independent filmmaker Alice Gordon’s entry gives an emotional insight into the life of a vlogger.
Hamish MacLeod, whose documentary film Aig an Oir (At The Edge) follows Lochalsh-born climber Kenny Rankin as he takes on a renowned route in Ayrshire, has also entered this year.
Glendale Gaelic School on Glasgow’s South Side took part following a year’s break from the competition.
Their entry sees the main character look back to explore what it takes to be a good leader.
Eilidh Rankin, FilmG project manager, said: “It’s been a joy to go through this year’s entries. We are delighted to see numbers growing year on year – a sign that the competition is increasing in popularity.
“It’s also really exciting to see such a breadth of topics and genres being covered, and the overall quality of the films is so high.
“It’s great to see familiar faces returning to our screens, as well as new talent coming to the fore.”
Project Funders MG ALBA were also delighted at the standard of entries.
Communications manager Murdo MacSween said: “It’s great that FilmG continues to grow and it’s really inspiring to see funny, dramatic, fascinating content made in Gaelic with such enthusiasm.
“FilmG is a fantastic route to get noticed and to lay a marker for the future and as an industry it’s encouraging to see so many come through FilmG to a career in Gaelic media.”