Loch Ness is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Britain. Thousands of people from all over the world visit each year. The Loch Ness Film Festival has been running for five years as a non-profit event, encouraging tourists and aspiring filmmakers. Andrew Doig, a trustee of the festival, spoke to us about this year’s event.
The festival screens short films which are submitted through social media. The free entry festival has proven to be quite popular with tourists, which is why the festival moved from September to July. A guerrilla film making workshop has now been running for three years:
“We aim to teach and help kids make short entertaining films with their imagination up in Abriachan, a unique rural location.”
Loch Ness Film Festival is a charity and gets a lot of funding from the community. The past two years have seen funding from local businesses and this has given the organisers to opportunity to buy better equipment for the workshop.
Because the festival is situated in such a picturesque location, it is yet another reason why people enjoy visiting. Andrew explains how the tourists can enjoy the short films n great settings:
“We moved the festival to the end of July, which is busier with tourists, and screen the opening and Friday night at the Loch Ness Bagpackers with tourists coming in and then checking out the next day screenings at the Craigmonie Centre.”
As a charity, the festival is run by various members of the community who volunteer:
“Volunteers are set up as trustees/members who operate it from when submissions start in mid to late January and finish up end of July after the festival has finished. We all have other jobs that take priority and do the festival in our spare time.”
The festival runs for two days in July. The programme for this year has yet to be confirmed because they are still accepting submissions, which cost £10.
Loch Ness Film Festival is from 24-26th July this year. To find out more, visithttp://lochnessfilmfestival.co.uk/.
