Movie parade celebrates opening of Screenplay

Shetland Arts’ celebration of all things film was saluted by a parade on Saturday morning. Starting from the town’s Market Cross, the march made its way along the street under colourful bunting and ended up outside Mareel where a feast of films, lectures and discussions featuring film professionals will be held through to Sunday the 6^th of September.

Leading the parade was Kathy Hubbard followed by the Lerwick Brass Band in good form playing hits from the movies including the James Bond Theme, Anchors Aweigh and Colonel Bogie from the film Bridge Over the River Kwai. The band was followed by some volunteers and participants involved with the festival, some dressed up in film themed costumes.

One of the volunteers involved in the march Willum Cluness said he would be involved  with a virtual reality experience on Monday involving a head set. Another, Sophie Balcombe had travelled up from Orkney. Asked if she had enjoyed the showing of the Silent classic Black Pirate accompanied by live piano shown at Mareel the previous night with some of the audience in costume, she said she had “loved it!”. The festival for film buffs of all ages continues to provide a varied programme for a community that was, not so long ago, without a permanent cinema for many years.

Read more about Screenplay 2015 in next Friday’s Shetland Times