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AWARDS UK

Summer time at Scottish BAFTAs

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In a lean year for Scottish cinema, Kenny Gleenan’s Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, starring Scottish icon Robert Carlyle, won Best Film and Best Director at the annual BAFTA Scotland awards. The film beat off challenges from Charles Martin Smith’s Stone of Destiny and Steve Barker’s Outpost.

Brian Cox won Best Acting Performance in Film for The Escapist [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. The other nominees were Carlyle for Summer and Alia Alzougbi for Trouble Sleeping.

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The Best Short Film award went to Finlay Pretsell and Adrian McDowall’s Ma Bar. Cinematographer Mark Littlewood and director Mike Alexander were honoured for Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Film.

Carlyle launched a broadside against the dismal state of the Scottish film industry. Of particular frustration to him is the slow progress of Antonia Bird’s The Meat Trade – the follow-up to Trainspotting – that stars himself and Colin Firth.

Carlyle said, “It's an all-round problem. There's no money anywhere to make anything. So anything in the arts is going to take a back seat. Private investment has almost vanished. Independent features are getting to be few and far between. That’s my bread and butter.”

Other Scottish stars were more positive. Awards host Edith Bowman said, “The awards are getting bigger and better every year, and that reflects the talent that’s being showcased. When you have things like this that draw emphasis towards the arts and people making exceptional art, that's the sort of thing that's going to draw attention and funding.”

Former Best Actress winner Kate Dickie said, “We have great actors and good-quality films. We just need to get pushing to get films made here.”

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