Quango gave £110k to porn f ilm but refuses to fund book festival
A BOOK festival has had to cancel this year’s event after Creative Scotland refused to finance it – weeks after the arts quango was embroiled in a porn film funding scandal.
Glasgow’s Aye Write festival, which has been running since 2005, was forced to abandon its 2024 programme when it failed to secure a £77,500 funding request.
It comes after Creative Scotland was condemned this month for awarding almost £110,000 to the makers of hardcore porn film Rein.
The quango has refused to say why it has pulled away from the event, which last year attracted authors such as Val McDermid, ex-Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and Judy Murray.
Conservative MSP Annie Wells said: ‘The public will be appalled that Creative Scotland have effectively pulled the plug on this renowned and much-loved festival, when the same quango managed to find over £100,000 to fund a porn film.
‘Creative Scotland have serious questions to answer over their judgment and priorities.’
Rein’s director Leonie Rae Gasson had declared the film would feature ‘a secret cave sex party’.
Aye Write and Wee Write – which are both organised by Glasgow City Council’s arms-length leisure body Glasgow Life – have been awarded money from Creative Scotland in each of the past five years.
Since 2019 it has been granted more than £300,000 from the quango through the National Lottery Open Fund.
In 2021, 2022, and 2023 the festival was awarded £70,000.
As the row over the its future intensified Humza Yousaf pledged to look at what ‘potential support’ his government could give. The First Minister added: ‘I would say it is something of a cultural icon, an institution within our festival and cultural landscape.’
His predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, who appeared last year with comedienne Janey Godley, called the cancellation ‘really bad news’.
She said on social media: ‘I know money is tight but very much hope that a way is found to get Aye Write back on track.
‘Books, culture generally, are so vital to our wellbeing – and never more so than in the troubled times we live in today. Book festivals are opportunities to celebrate the wonder of literature and those who create it. We mustn’t lose that.’
Glasgow Life said delivery of festivals was ‘dependent on securing external funding and while bids for funding support continue to exceed monies available, especially during the current difficult economic climate, some events will inevitably miss out’.
A spokesman added: ‘Aye Write and Wee Write have developed and grown over the years thanks, in part, to support through Creative Scotland. Our 2024 funding application was not successful so Aye Write and Wee Write will not be able to take place as festivals this year.
‘We appreciate this will cause considerable disappointment.
‘Glasgow Life will organise some pop-up Aye Write events during 2024 and will develop an application for multi-year funding starting in 2025 which, if successful, means a return for the festivals next year.’
Creative Scotland said: ‘We are currently only able to support around 30 per cent of applications to our Open Fund due to limitations on the money available to us and difficult decisions need to be made daily. Creative Scotland continues to advocate for more resources to support culture and creativity across Scotland.’
‘Serious questions over priorities’