The first Doric Film Festival is being launched by Scots Radio. Before the festival kicks off in June, aspiring film makers are being encouraged to create five minute films in Doric.
The judges would love to see ‘hunners o’ entries fae a range o fowk fae a across the North-east of Scotland’. Entrants are encouraged from schools, individuals and community groups. You don’t need to know anything about film-making as the key skills will be taught, for free, at training sessions across the North-east.
The theme is, ‘What the North East of Scotland Means to Me’. There are six categories – Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Community Groups, Students, Individual (Professional) and Individual (Non-Professional) – with a £500 prize in each category.
Director of Scots Radio, Frieda Morrison, explained, ‘The Gaelic Film Festival has been enjoying success for 11 years, so we wanted to encourage story-telling in Scots – and in this first instance, in Doric. It’s the perfect time to use 21st century technology to celebrate the Scots language in this remarkable corner of Scotland.
‘The film competition is also aboot bringing fowk thegither. We’d love to see local community groups an school bairns, learning new film skills, bi recording their ain tales or stories. It’s aboot self-expression – feeling free to speak in yir ain language to cover the adventures, history, struggles or plans o the local area and beyond. We are encouragin groups tae write scripts an spik an record new music – an it disna hae tae be complicated. The music could be played on a single whistle or a few chords on a guitar for instance.’
The festival welcomes entrants from experienced media professionals, but it’s also a great opportunity for people to learn film-making techniques. Training sessions, featuring expert advice from broadcasting professionals, will pass on essential film-making skills. Topics covered include pre-production, camera operation, effective audio capture, scriptwriting, storyboarding and basic editing and post production. Even those who have never made a film before can participate. This means that groups of all ages and backgrounds can enter – from bowling clubs and Scouts to history groups and teachers.
‘At Scots Radio we dae things differently – broadcasting in the Scots language, thereby capturing a slice o Scottish life that simply isna heard onywye else. We’d noo like to encourage the wider North-east community tae hae their say. This is the first film festival o its kind, wi Doric at its heart, so ony-body fae Forres to Dundee can enter.’
Film entries must be no more than 5 mins in duration, with all text and dialogue in Doric, and completed entries must be received by the end of May 2019. An awards ceremony will be held in June 2019, where the short-listed films are presented on the big screen, before the winners of each category are announced.
Find out more at doricfilmfestival.com