Screenplay’s ‘Hansel of Film’ will feature in Olympic celebrations next year

Shetland Arts has been invited to take part in the London 2012 Festival which celebrates next year’s Olympic Games.

It was asked to submit a proposal relating to the annual film festival Screenplay, and came up with “A Hansel of Film – Shetland to Southampton and Back”, a collection of short films made by the public in every part of the UK.

The films will start being made in Shetland on 10th June when the Olympic torch arrives in the isles. They will be relayed between participating venues by “runners”, energetic individuals who will employ whatever means of transport they can to get the right films to the right venue on time.This will culminate in a marathon screening of over 120 short films at Screenplay 2012 between 4th and 9th September.

The project will take short films made by locals from around the UK to over 20 venues, and will form a celebration of “home-made” short films similar to those shown at the Screenplay film festival.

Shetland Arts head of development Kathy Hubbard said: “When we thought about what made Screenplay special, we all agreed that it was the films made by local people. It’s tremendous to see the creativity of people of all ages – but most of all it’s fun. And it was that spirit which we wanted to offer as a hansel [a gift to mark a new event] to other regions and nations of the UK during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to all those who will be taking part in the project.”

Acclaimed film critics and curators of Screenplay Mark Kermode and Linda Ruth Williams will be active in promoting the project. They will be greeting the “runner” at The Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton at the project’s halfway point, but will also be visiting other participating venues.

Shetland Arts director Gwilym Gibbons said: “We are thrilled to be taking an active part in the festival. It is a tribute to the creativity of our isles that Shetland has a role in delivering a UK-wide film project of this nature.

“It also comes at a very exciting time for us in the opening year of Mareel. We will be inviting representatives from each of the participating regions and nations to come and join us back in Shetland for Screenplay 2012, making it a truly celebratory event.”

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.

To learn more, visit the official Hansel of Film website here.