BBC Alba documentary about South Uist screens at Canadian film festival

A still from San Fhuil/ It's in the Blood.

A BBC ALBA documentary was screened last night at FIN Atlantic Film Festival in Canada.

Filmed over three years by independent company TrixPixMedia, San Fhuil (It’s in the Blood) is an intimate portrait of the crofting calendar on the Hebridean island of South Uist, both past and present.

Film-maker Beatrix Wood has made a name for herself by creating documentaries based on the people, culture and nature of the islands and especially the close harmony with the land.

She said: “Sculpting stories to work for local, national and international audiences and for interest groups has been at the centre of my work ever since I left film school.

“We had a hugely enthusiastic response to the original series when it was broadcast on BBC ALBA and are excited to see this film make its way out into the international market.”

In the documentary, the contemporary action is interwoven with archive film and photographs, offering a rare insight that evolves like the layers of memory and life stories that the main characters share.

FIN Atlantic International Film Festival is an eight-day celebration of film and media from around the world. It’s a festival that turns Halifax in Canada – a charming and historic coastal city – into an international mecca for the arts, abuzz with film lovers and filmmakers alike.

Only two weeks ago BBC ALBA’s animation Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn was screened at the Cannes Short Film Festival and the channel saw great success at the recent RTS Scotland awards, winning four prizes.

Iseabail Mactaggart, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at MG ALBA, which operates BBC ALBA in partnership with the BBC, said: “This demonstrates the resonance that BBC ALBA’s content has internationally.

“We have stories that can only be told in our communities and through the medium of Gaelic.

“These awards and festival appearances help to spread that message and in turn increase the opportunities for international funding and co-productions.”