HAVING ALREADY ENJOYED International and UK Premier showings in the USA, Rotterdam and London, a movie shot entirely in Forres is finally set to screen to a Scottish audience.
Bodkin Ras – described as a dark Scottish thriller about a young fugitive – is to feature at the Glasgow Film Festival where it will be under scrutiny alongside 300 films, many of them regarded as Hollywood classics.
The film encapsulates the story set in ‘a remote Scottish town’ where the fugitive seeks fresh start, and was shot in Forres using many local people as ‘extras’. It has been described as a mix of documentary and fiction, where the real stories of the town’s inhabitants are as fascinating as that of the only acted character – Bodkin Ras.
It was produced by Revolver Amsterdam with co-produced by Inti Films in Belgium and Blue Iris Films in Scotland, and was first screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it won the prestigious FIPRESCI Award – it then had its US premiere at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas.
Now it is set for a Scottish screening with Katie Crook, the Scottish Co-producer for the film, saying: “As soon as we arrived in Forres we were basically getting involved in the local life, making friends so that we really knew who to approach to be in the film.
“Kaweh Modiri [producer] gained local trust and respect and we went from there. It was unlike any other film shoot, in that the shooting schedule was very fluid and we had to be quick on our feet as live events occurred.
“It was lots of fun and everyone is still close. We see the Forres actors often and try to get them involved in the festival run as much as possible – we’ve made good friends with Forres.”
Should the film prove as successful in Glasgow as it has done in its previous festival performances it could only be more good news for tourism in Forres and throughout Moray, which is already reporting great success on the back of major events such as the Findhorn Bay Arts Festival, Spirit of Speyside and European Pipe Band Championships.
The Glasgow Film Festival begins on February 15.