Tag: FilmG Awards

Gaelic Film winners unveiled at biggest-ever FilmG awards ceremony

On Friday night, the winners of this year’s prestigious Gaelic short film competition, FilmG, were announced to an audience of almost 500 filmmakers, industry professionals, and FilmG devotees.

The event took place in the Lomond Auditorium of the SEC in Glasgow and was hosted by BBC ALBA stars Lana Pheutan and Hannah McKirdy who saw winners crowned across 16 categories.

Taking top spot in the under 18 competition was Parker Dawes who won the Best Film for Iomlaineachd (Perfection).

This is the second year in a row that Dawes has picked up the Best Film Award, a testament to his Gaelic storytelling ability and continued investment in his craft, earmarking him as one of Scotland’s best young film talents.

Parker Dawes, Best Film winner (-18), said: “It was an amazing night and it was great that people had the opportunity to view and appreciate my film.

“I enjoy entertaining people with my stories and competitions like FilmG enable me to do this and to pursue filmmaking which is something I really love. This is my second year winning, but it still came as a big surprise – it’s still sinking in!”

Securing first place in the over 18 category for Best Film was Kayleigh Bell’s documentary, Sealladh mo Sheanair, which explores her “Grandfather’s Perspective” through a series of interviews. This is Kayleigh’s first win in this category at the FilmG Awards.

Kayleigh Bell, Best Film winner (18+), said: “I’m quite shocked I won – I thought all the nominees were fantastic. I still can’t quite believe it.

“It’s my first time winning FilmG ever and I’m so glad it was with a personal story – my Granda would have been very proud and I think he’d be very happy to see himself on TV. This win has been really encouraging – I’ve definitely got lots of ideas and plans for next year’s competition.”

Other winners include Thurso High School who won the new Inspiration Award in the under 18 competition for their film, Ar Sealladh aig Àrd-sgoil Inbhir Theòrsa, a documentary that explores the views of Thurso’s teachers and pupils on Gaelic medium education.

The Inspiration Award in the over 18 competition went to Edinburgh-based filmmaker, Luca Kerr, for his horror Campachadh (Camping).

Glasgow-based production company, Lost Rollerskate Pictures, picked up the award for Best Story (-18) for their film, A bheil thu an sin? (Are you there?). This is the first year the production company entered FilmG, headed up by high school student, Tomas Dimbleby Weber.

Individual prizes went to Inverness filmmaker Rachel Urquhart who won the Technical Excellence Award (18+) for her work on her documentary, Còisir – Mgr M!, about the impact of Mr MacMillan and his choir at Inverness Gaelic Primary School. The Rionnag Award (-18), for the best off-screen contribution, went to polyglot Jasmine Krzyzanowska-Pawlak from Millburn Academy in Inverness – who is learning Gaelic as her third language – for her camera work on Sealladh na Bànrigh.

Last year’s Best Performance winner, Finlay Morrison, has once again won the award in the under 18 competition, however, this year he shares the accolade with his brother Calum for their performances in the comedy, Bràthair Mòr Nan Gàidheal!!. 

In the over 18 competition, the Best Performance Award was won by Evie Waddell, a Gaelic and Scots singer hailing from Stirlingshire, for her film, Fios no Fois. Her film explores the confusions of deaf experience through Gaelic song, accompanying choreography, and BSL.

There were also two winners for the FilmG Choice Award – the only awards selected by public vote via the FilmG website. In the under 18 competition the winner was Sgoil Lionacleit, on the Isle of Benbecula, for their moving film, Aillse, Sealladh Marsaili, which explores Marsaili’s journey with cancer from a young age.

In the over 18 competition, Skye’s Niamh MacKinnon took home the Choice Award for her film, Glac an Latha, which encourages everyone to embrace the present.

A highlights programme will be shown on BBC ALBA at 8pm this evening (Sunday 25 February). Watch live on BBC ALBA or on demand on BBC iPlayer: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wsfr.

The livestream of the whole event is also available now on the BBC ALBA YouTube channel.

FilmG Project Manager, Megan Dale, said: “What a brilliant night! We’re still reflecting on the wealth of talent and enthusiasm displayed during the FilmG Awards.

“2024 has been a year of firsts for FilmG; we had our first entrants from Canada; it was our first year at the SEC; we had new presenters; and our biggest-ever audience of 500 attending the awards. Our bigger venue meant that more nominees and FilmG enthusiasts could attend the awards and this added a real buzz to the event.

“A huge congratulations to all the nominees and winners – it was fantastic seeing them all dressed up for the awards night and it truly felt like the Gaelic Baftas.”

MG ALBA’s Head of Publishing, Maggie Taylor, said: “A huge congratulations to all our nominees and winners – what a brilliant night celebrating the best of Gaelic storytelling.

“What becomes evident – looking at the talented list of FilmG winners – is that Gaelic storytellers hail from all over Scotland. We have winners from Thurso, Inverness, Skye, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Western Isles.

“A big thank-you to Lana and Hannah who did a fantastic job at keeping the room captivated whilst presenting awards to the next generation of Gaelic filmmakers. Hopefully nights like the FilmG Awards encourage Gaelic speakers to continue making films and that their stories and voices are incredibly important in shaping Scotland’s storytelling.”

A full list of films from FilmG can be found at www.filmg.co.uk.

New presenters set to host Gaelic film’s biggest night of the year

BBC ALBA stars, Lana Pheutan and Hannah McKirdy, are set to host Gaelic film’s biggest night of the year: the FilmG Awards. The presenters will oversee the awards ceremony on Friday (23 February) where winners will be crowned for the 16th annual iteration of the Gaelic short-film competition.

With the awards historically held at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow and hosted by BBC ALBA stalwarts Fiona MacKenzie and Niall Iain MacDonald, the event this year takes place at the SEC with Lana and Hannah welcoming the audience of almost 500 filmmakers, industry professionals and FilmG devotees.

Lana and Hannah themselves participated in FilmG over the years, both picking up awards that helped propel them into their media careers.

Hannah picked up a Best Performance trophy in 2017 for Cheating our Language while Lana has won numerous awards, including winning two in 2017 (Best Comedy and People’s Choice Award), three in 2018 (Best Performance, Best Student Film and People’s Choice Award) and the prestigious Best Film award in 2019 for her film Sòlas.

Since then, Lana and Hannah have worked together regularly, as actors, podcasters and most recently as co-creators and stars of the BBC ALBA mockumentary Glan Fhèin, and as co-hosts of the successful BBC Radio nan Gàidheal podcast Fad Botal Fìon.

New FilmG co-host, Lana Pheutan, said: “This is the first year that myself and Hannah are presenting the FilmG Awards and I’m really excited, and a bit nervous, for what has historically been a fantastic night.

“We’ve both attended many FilmG ceremonies over the years and it’s always a great chance for young Gaelic speakers to meet, mingle, and celebrate the language. It’s up to us to keep the crowd entertained whilst guiding the FilmG nominees through a seamless night of celebrating Gaelic short films.”

New FilmG co-host, Hannah McKirdy, said: “FilmG is a fantastic vehicle for developing Gaelic talent, and Lana and I both benefited from the experience we gained through creating films, writing scripts, and later winning awards.

“This year, over 50 films have been shortlisted across the categories, which demonstrates the wealth of Gaelic Filmmaking talent in Scotland and beyond. We know exactly how excited and nervous the nominees will be – we’ve been in their shoes – so Lana and I will be there on the night to ensure everyone has a good time.”

The FilmG Awards will take place on the evening of Friday 23 February in the Lomond Auditorium of the SEC in Glasgow.

The awards will be live-streamed to BBC ALBA’s YouTube and FilmG’s Facebook, with a highlights programme to be broadcast two days later on BBC ALBA (8pm on Sunday 25 February): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wsfr.

Nominees announced for Gaelic short film competition

Luca Kerr from Edinburgh has been nominated for the Inspiration Award for his film ‘Campachadh.’

While some may be eagerly awaiting the Baftas and Oscars, Scotland’s Gaelic communities are busy preparing for Gaelic film’s biggest night of the year: the FilmG Awards.

Over 50 films have been shortlisted for the FilmG Awards, a night celebrating the best Gaelic storytellers and filmmakers in Scotland and beyond. Winners will be crowned in categories such as Best Performance, Best Production Design, Technical Excellence, and the Best Film Award.

Leading the way with four nominations in the Under-18 competition is ‘A Bheil Thu An Sin?’, a psychological drama by the new independent filmmaking group Lost Rollerskate Pictures from Glasgow Gaelic School.

In the Over-18 competition, Inverness charity FC Sonas’s ‘Blàr nan Gàidheal’, which tells the story of the first-ever official football match in Gaelic, also has four nominations, closely followed by Isle of Lewis-based Tormod MacLeod’s funeral farce ‘An Tiodhlaiceadh’ (three nominations).

With the judges’ job now complete, the only categories still to be decided are the FilmG Choice Awards, with the public vote for these categories still open until midnight, 2nd February. Votes can be cast online by the public at www.FilmG.co.uk.

Rachel Kennedy, FilmG Judge and star of hit BBC ALBA drama series An Clò Mòr, said: “It’s been a record-breaking year for FilmG, with over 160 entries – the highest number of submissions since the competition began. The appetite for the competition is brilliant, but it makes our job as judges incredibly difficult as there is so much talent to choose from.

“Our shortlist has been carefully considered and showcases the best Gaelic filmmakers based on production, technical ability, and storytelling. From highly skilled animation to tear-jerking documentaries and cutting-edge dramas, the high level of talent, creativity, and effort has been evident in every film shortlisted, and they are all deserved finalists.”

FilmG Project Manager, Megan Dale, said: “The theme for this year was “Mo Shealladh’ (My Point of View), and all the entrants embraced this by showcasing different perspectives and playing with form. The shortlisted films show a deep understanding of perspective and the importance of listening to Scotland’s multitude of voices.

“The nominees represent different perspectives from all over Scotland, including Thurso, Portree, Glasgow, Harris, Lewis, Dunoon, and Inverness. Often, when we think of the film industry, we picture London or Glasgow, but FilmG shows that a wealth of talent can be found in all corners of Scotland (and beyond) and that it is important to encourage these voices to be heard.”

MG ALBA’s Head of Publishing, Maggie Taylor, said: “Congratulations to all the nominees this year – it’s wonderful to see such a diverse selection of stories and to acknowledge the skill, talent, and enormous technical effort it takes to bring them alive. The Awards night is where this talent can be recognised, and I’m excited to see who will be crowned FilmG winners on 23 February.

“For the first time, the nominees list includes Gaelic filmmakers from the Isle of Man and Canada, showing the international reach of the Gaelic film competition. We hope to continue developing FilmG’s transnational ties and supporting the talented filmmakers emerging across Scotland.”

The FilmG Awards will take place on 23 February in the Lomond Auditorium of Glasgow’s illustrious SEC.

The awards will be live-streamed to YouTube, with a highlights programme to be broadcast two days later on BBC ALBA (Sunday 25 February).