TAKING AN EARLY BAFTA

They're letting off fireworks all over town but not, I suspect, to celebrate the BAFTA Scotland nominations, which have just been announced.

That's not to say anything against it. Scottish filmmakers need the odd night out and some kind of recognition. There's so little made here that you need to shout about it. But it would help if the makers were Scottish. In the film category sadly there's only three features, two of which were directed by non-Scots (okay, so Annie Griffin adopted the country).

Perhaps even sadder is the acting categories where only two actors and two actresses warranted a nomination, which speaks volumes about the state of Scottish acting on screen. Boy, I'd love to be a fly on the toilet wall when Shirley Henderson and Daniella Nardini touch up their lippy.

In an earlier blog I commented on the absurdity of film award ceremonies in Scotland. Good on BAFTA Scotland that they've managed to keep afloat by pumping up TV, shorts and new media. After all it's about film and television. But my worry is that come 2006, with film in the dire state it's in and if Scottish Screen get their way, they might have to rebrand it as BATA.
You know, like the shoe shop...

RIP.