Shetland Arts’ combined book and film festivals, Wordplay and Screenplay saw a record attendance at ticketed events, with more than 1200 people coming out to experience the variety of film screenings, workshops and author events which were held from Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th September.

The book festival, which was curated by Shetland Arts volunteers, Matthew Wright and James Sinclair featured several sell out events, including a highly entertaining performance by comedian, poet and musician John Hegley on Saturday and a memorable talk and reading by Will Self on Sunday. The festival also featured a powerful and immensely moving reading by shadow poet laureate Adrian Mitchell whose performance of his own poetry provided an absolute tour de force which never failed to engage the large, receptive audience, moving them at times to laughter and ultimately to tears.

Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer, Donald Anderson said, “I think one of the things that have made this year’s book festival special has been the way that the writers and their audiences have responded to each other. The audiences have clearly enjoyed and been moved by the performances of the writers who in turn have all said how much they have appreciated the way the festival audiences have responded to them.”

Screenplay, the film side of the festival which mainly featured film screenings at the Garrison Theatre entertained a steady stream of film fanatics who enjoyed a broad selection of films featuring ‘heroes and villains’, and a number of interesting and entertaining talks and discussions. This year the festival also featured two workshops, one of which was lead by director Douglas Mackinnon. The best-attended screening was for a selection of works by Maddrim Media, a group of young film makers aged between 13 and 19 years old.

Festival co-curator Mark Kermode praised the work of staff, technicians and volunteers for the high quality of the festival, and he was fulsome in his praise of the work of local film makers young and old. Shetland Arts Development Manager, Kathy Hubbard said that the calibre of the visiting curators added something very special to the experience of cinema-going. “It was a treat to listen to them discussing and introducing the films – and they had time to inspire young film makers too, spending the best part of Saturday morning giving them feedback on the work they had submitted.” She believes that films made by local people will become an increasingly important aspect of future film festivals.