A FIT OF PEAK
Who is this guy, you might wonder? Well I never, it's none other than Douglas Rae, Scotland's 'leading movie mogul', whose Ecosse Films is based in a nice office in Chelsea and who sits on the committee of BAFTA. Watch your back though, this guy wields a mean steakie...
The latest stushie over BAFTA’s decision not to submit the Gaelic movie, Seachd – The Inaccessible Pinnacle, for the Foreign Film Oscars grinds on with barely a peep out of the local media. One exception is Brian Pendreigh, writing in Scotland on Sunday on how miffed producer Christopher Young is so hacked off with BAFTA he’s torn up his membership.
scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=1560962007
Apart from the usual batty Nats chucking in their tuppence worth, what’s interesting about the article is the it-wisnae-me half-arsed apology from Alison Forsyth, head of BAFTA Scotland, claiming it’s nothing to do with her because ‘she only runs a branch office’ of the organisation. So much for BAFTA Scotland’s claim to champion Scottish filmmaking. And with old duffer Douglas Rae so quick to put the boot in, so much for cameraderie among Scottish filmmakers. Mind you, Rae's about as Scottish as Gordon Ramsay.
If Ms Forsyth can’t come out in support of Seachd, who can? Well, how about one of the stakeholders, Scottish Screen? Didn’t they put £170,000 into the film? You’d think maybe that CEO, Ken Hay, might have something to say about BAFTA’s decision but like many a gagged filmmaker in receipt of large amounts of public cash, I guess he’d rather keep stumm than rock the establishment boat, especially when there’s a lucrative job coming up at Creative Scotland. And why is co-funder, Ishbel Maclennan of BBC Alba not kicking up a fuss about the film’s non-inclusion? You can bet all parties concerned would be quick enough to claim credit if Seachd wound up with an Oscar nomination.
Not having seen the movie myself, it’s hard to know whether or not it’s as unworthy as BAFTA would have us believe. Surely it’s hard enough for a film, especially one made on a paltry £700,000, to compete on the international stage, up against multi-million dollar rivals from all corners of the earth. It’s pretty bad when your own country puts up barricades and it’s not as if there’s anything to lose – unless, of course, BAFTA feels too embarrassed to put forward such a low budget film - be it good, bad or indifferent – because it might reflect badly on the state of Film UK by showing up the lie of our so-called thriving industry.
At a time when practically bugger-all is getting made inhouse in Scotland, it’s interesting to note that a couple of films are allegedly heading this way. I say allegedly because producers Jinx Films’ Eating Dust, (billed as a ‘Celtic comedy’ – and no doubt as hilarious as that other English movie, One Last Chance) is still touting for investors, according to their website. The other film is some cheapo horror whose title I forget, but it’s another English import. Good to know then that Film City isn’t turning out to be a total waste of public money. Just a shame we can’t seem to get any Scottish films made there.
Again my thanks go to Andy, perennial contributor of ideas for this blog, for pointing me towards this Guardian article, national coverage being a rare thing for any Scottish film –
film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2177934,00.html
Seachd seems to have its admirers, so how come BAFTA decided to bury it? It’s worth adding that they knocked back a Welsh film too, while across the water, our canny Northern Irish friends have submitted Kings as their Best Foreign Film contender - or so I saw advertised on screendaily.com last week. How does that work? By pulling a fast one with the Irish Film Board, probably and BAFTA be damned. Like the mad Nats on the Hootsmon say – independence now. Maybe Alex Salmond should apply to Scandinavia for membership...
posted by Leanne Smith at 3:20 PM
6 Comments:
I think the Welsh film must have been Calon Gaeth (Small Country), a TV mini-series spliced together to make a film. I haven't seen it in its sellotaped form, but saw one episode which was enough. Staid, wooden, dull - another unimaginative period piece from Wales. We sure churn those heritage cinema hits out here. Whoopee.
It must be that film, because there hasn't been a Welsh language film since the very low budget (and amateur, if we're honest) Y Lleill in 2005.
Anyway, I'm not surprised if it was put forward as the OSCAR nomination, it was produced by the guy who chairs BAFTA Cymru!
Anyway, back to Seachd. I have seen it. It wasn't bad, it looked very good, the story is a bit of a mess and a rather thin on the whole due to its episodic nature, and some of the acting lacks conviction. But really, it should have been given a shot. The foreign language Oscars are totally unpredictable, and with American's penchant for a good old "Scotch" fable, it may well have been in there with a chance.
BAFTA must be bloody idiots not to put this forward (what do they do exactly?), but it does smell a bit of self-righteous ness. I'm sure that only two Welsh language films (Hedd Wyn; Solomon and Gaenor) have been nominated in the last 20 years, when over 50 feature films have been produced...
Thanks for the info.
Well, that's two feature films more than Scotland's ever managed to get to the Academy.
And you're right, the Foreign Film category is always a mixed bag. I'd have more respect for BAFTA if they just came out and said 'No way are we going to embarrass ourselves with this pile of shite' - which I'm sure it's not - but no, they just smile and smile.
I bet if Michael Winterbottom made a film in Cornish, it would be a shoe-in.
Lx
Chris Young is also really pissing people off by touting Seached as the first Gaelic feature when it isn't To An Island is.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106314/
You're right about that.
I'm sure Chris Young's also enjoying the publicity he's getting for the film with his BAFTA-membie shredding stunt.
Interesting blog...but i don't think Mr Young's tack of saying it should be included 'cos it is a brilliant film is a worthy one...cinematography and scenery is splendid in places, script, acting and directing is somewhat shady...so perhaps just 'cos it's the only one available isn't a strong enough argument either if it is distinctively less than an average piece of film-making on a good day...and as for the BS jingoistic nationalist crap that some MSP's have started to tout apparently with support for this film, well support the industry better by getting rid of the middle management/upper management of screen agencies and 'national' broadcasters....who finance half arsed stuff rather than allow something like this with potential to be sufficiently developed (ie supported with MONEY, nurturing and developing the talent/idea)and leaving an end result that is unfortunately and simply not a great film, despite the worthy effort made by most invlolved...
I'm with you on this one. Just to have got the film made shouldn't automatically qualify it as an Oscar contender.
It's embarrassing to see MSPs huffing and puffing over this issue. The Scottish Government has no clue about film or filmmakers in this country and the problems of trying to make - and market - films here.
To be fair to Scottish Screen, surely they're well aware of the situation. I bet they'd love to see more homegrown films getting made because without them their position looks shaky. But SS's budget's a fraction of other national agencies, say, the SAC or the NTS. And at least they've made an attempt to fund lower budget and more experimental films with the Express Fund and Future Film.
No amount of public money can get a film made or seen, but you'd think the broadcasters would pull their finger out. The BBC's track record of supporting film is atrocious and as for SMG, the budgets for New Found Land and New Found Film were a joke - and they've even given up on that. So much for nurturing the talent.
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