Celebrating the Celtic film industry
 

Blinded

CATRIONA PAUL looks ahead to the 25th Celtic Film and Television Festival in Dundee
 

Four days of Scotland’s own Oscars? Complete with Versace, Dior and Armani delights, weepy acceptance speeches and dazzle galore? Well, no promises about the dresses but, with or without the glamour, the 25th Celtic Film & Television Festival is likely to be a darn sight more important in the promotion of Celtic languages and culture than Hollywood.
 

Set up in 1980, the CFTF originated with a desire to celebrate Celtic identity through film, TV and radio achievements. This has been done by searching for the best work from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany and Cornwall and putting them up for a series of awards. The event brings the industry together to celebrate the winners and, just as importantly, plan future projects. About a quarter of entries are in a Celtic language, most are in English and a few are in French.
 

The event is moved to a new location each year. In the past, South Uist and Benbecula, Skye, Inverness, Glasgow and Fort William have all played host to the festival. Now, it is the turn of Dundee. Despite its East Coast location, which might seem to remove it from Scotland’s Gaelic heartland, Dundee deserves a fair chance given a cracking selection of venues including Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee Rep Theatre and Bonar Hall.
 

This year’s festival is shaping up nicely with strong competition for each of the sixteen Bronze Torc Awards. Categories include best drama, documentary, current affairs, animation, education, music, journalism and new media. A special award will be made for the best film or television programme wholly or substantially in a Celtic language. The winners are decided by an international panel representing each of the participating countries chaired by journalist and TV presenter, Sheena McDonald.
 

So what films has the CFTF got which you might have heard of, or might hear of in the future? Well, they’ve secured the Scottish premiere of Blind Flight to kick off proceedings. A film about the kidnapping of Irishman Brian Keenan and Englishman John McCarthy in Lebanon in 1986 starring Ian Hart and Linus Roache, it’s sure to be a powerful start to the festival. Keenan, Hart and director, John Furse, are set to attend and stay for questions afterwards.
 

In an odd parallel, the CFTF’s gala premiere on Friday night is Blinded, a film funded by Scottish TV, Grampian TV and Scottish Screen which, should with any luck, be quite racey. A Danish backpacker stumbles onto a Borders estate looking for work. His new boss is blind, but has a beautiful wife. The backpacker and the wife fancy each other but “desire becomes dangerous”. (Dark drama from Scotland, who’d have guessed?) If you’d like to see either film, contact the CFTF for the latest on ticket availability.