Blackbird Nominated for this year
TRANSGRESSIVE NORTH PRESENTS A DEERSTALKER FILMS PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH SCOTLAND SOUTH WEST SCREEN COMMISSION
Directed by Jamie Chambers and nominated for this year’s prestigious Michael Powell Award, BLACKBIRD is a captivating tale of belonging and loss that receives its public world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Tuesday 25 June at Filmhouse 1 at 8.50pm and Thursday 27 June at Cineworld 3 at 6.25pm.
Aspiring young bard, Ruadhan (Andrew Rothney), despairs as the fabric of his Scottish hometown begins to change. There are no fish in the sea, no jobs and a steady exodus to the city. Life as he loves it is slipping away and Ruadhan's idol, town bard Alec (Norman Maclean), has little stomach to fight the decline.
Long-time best pal, Calum (Patrick Wallace), and returning childhood friend, Amy (Scarlett Mack), spark Ruadhan's struggle to keep the past alive. When Alec takes off to a retirement home in mysterious circumstances, Ruadhan must act quickly to save him and protect the town he loves. As his battle spirals out of control, it soon becomes Ruadhan who needs saving.
Featuring legendary performers Norman Maclean and Sheila Stewart, BLACKBIRD brings Scotland's most loved folk heroes to the big screen alongside up-and-coming Scottish talent.
Of the film’s inclusion in this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, director Jamie Chambers comments, ‘I am thrilled that we are able to debut Blackbird in my hometown, at the festival where I first saw the films of Bong Joon Ho and Foreign American alongside many others that have inspired and fed BLACKBIRD.
‘Whilst BLACKBIRD cannot escape a sense of elegy at a time when the loss of a generation of tradition bearers is a very real phenomenon across Scotland, we hope that the film still embodies a sense of hope in depicting and embodying an engagement between generations of Scots old and new.'
Producer James Barrett adds, ‘I don’t think we could have hoped for a more fitting place to debut our film than the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The communities where we shot the film (the Machars in Dumfries and Galloway) rallied around us during the film-making process and their engagement was critical. The spirit in which the film was undertaken remains an inspiration and to be able to screen the film at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals – and to be nominated for the Michael Powell Award – seems a fitting tribute to their passion and enthusiasm for the project.’