Entries are flooding in for the Doric Film Festival 2022 – with organisers urging budding moviemakers to “haud gaun” and submit their ideas before the deadline on December 15.
Frieda Morrison, director of the festival which celebrates and promotes the Doric culture and language, says she has been delighted by the response to next year’s event, despite the ongoing pandemic which prevented the organiser holding a live celebration in 2021.
“The reaction has been terrific. We thought we might have been a bit short and people might have been a bit tentative of entering, but that hasn’t been the case,” she said.
“We are up to speed, on par with entries from last year, but are still looking for more. The more we have the better we can choose from.”
The theme for 2022 is A Sense O Time, which Frieda said was inspired by the recent COP26 environmental conference in Glasgow.
“It could be interpreted as ‘nae afore time’ a lovely Doric phrase, meaning it is high time it was done. Or it could be ‘it’s just aboot time’ to do it.”
Film Festival’s finale in August
However, Frieda says the theme is open to interpretation in any way seen fit by entrants in the three categories of individuals, schools and groups.
Ideas for short films, of no more than five minutes, must be in by Wednesday December 15.
A judging panel will then select the best 10 to go on to the filming stage, with the festival offering help in making the films a reality in time for a deadline for finished works.
The grand finale will then be staged on August 12 at the Aberdeen Arts Centre, when the winning film will be announced and awarded a £500 prize.
Frieda said the festival is an ideal platform for budding filmmakers
“They get a sense of pride in producing something, some of them for the first time,” she said. “But they also get a sense of what it takes to be seen on a professional platform and create something on a professional platform and that can lead to many things.”
But she hopes filmmakers get a sense of pride in promoting Doric itself – which is the aim of the festival.
Frieda said: “We need to raise the profile of the language and the confidence. Doric isn’t just for special occasions or comic effect, it’s a living, breathing language.”
How to enter Doric Film Festival
The festival, first staged in 2019, is produced by Scots Radio, which promotes all forms of Scots language. Scots Radio recently won the Radio Magazine category at the International Celtic Media Festival, competing with BBC and RTE programmes.
And Frieda has a message for those considering entering the Doric Film Festival.
“Just haud gaun… we are here to help and we will help people get through all the difficulties and challenges. We are looking forward to getting back together and celebrating the work of filmmakers in the north-east in person, with a live audience.”
To find out more about the Doric Film Festival, including how to enter, visit doricfilmfestival.com