Orkney’s first Film Fortnight

A two-week celebration of film will feature almost 100 screenings and events across Orkney.

Starting on Thursday 2 November, Film Fortnight will be hosted by the West Side Cinema, Phoenix Cinema, Gable End Theatre and Screen in the Square, as well as the Screen Machine, an 80 seater mobile cinema which will be touring films around seven of the North Isles.

Other special events can be seen at Orkney College and at ØY Festival in Papa Westray, the Orkney Book Festival, the Into Film Festival, as well as talks and workshops.

Film Fortnight will launch with a special event on the Screen Machine in Burray on 2 November, with presentations by Regional Screen Scotland and North East Arts Touring.

Project coordinator and local filmmaker, Mark Jenkins, and the Council’s Arts Development team will also talking about community cinema. This will be followed by a reception at the Sands Hotel.

The Council’s Arts Development Officer, Antony Mottershead, said: “It is an idea that has been bubbling away for several years, particularly with Mark and other local people engaged in community cinema.

“But with recent support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s Collaborative Communities fund and the return of the Screen Machine we’ve been able to get Film Fortnight off the ground.

“We’re seeing this very much as a means of testing the water – a bit of a teaser of what a two-week festival might look like in Orkney, but very much an opportunity to highlight the huge amount of activity already here.

“This pilot programme pulls together a lot of screenings and activities already taking place and builds on that, but we feel there is a huge amount of potential as we begin to think to next year.”

He added: “It gives people interested in film and cinema a platform to explore and discuss what’s going on in Orkney and what they’d like to see happening, and it provides us with a chance to understand what works and what doesn’t.”

Film Fortnight will also see a series of pilot events run in collaboration with Screen Memories Scotland. The events explore the use of film and reminiscence techniques for people living with dementia.

Anyone wishing to find out more about film and community cinema in Orkney is welcome to attend the launch in Burray on 2 November 2 and should RSVP Antony Mottershead no later than Friday 29 October.

A full programme and booking details can be found on the Film Fortnight website at https://filmfortnight.wordpress.com/

The Film Fortnight initiative is supported by local community groups, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, St Magnus International Festival and Orkney Islands Council.