The Undiscovered Islands: Malachy Tallack
9pm, Thursday 3 November
Malachy Tallack is from Shetland. His debut, Sixty Degrees North, was an exploration of the landscapes and cultures of the sixtieth parallel, and tackled that most challenging of questions: what does it mean to be at home? His new book, The Un-Discovered Islands, is concerned with the geography of the mind, introducing an archipelago of mythical, phantom and fraudulent islands. Malachy is a writer, singer-songwriter and contributing editor of The Island Review.
This event will be hosted by Ian Stephen.
Maritime: Ian Stephen (with Peter Urpeth, piano, and Gary Carr, bass)
8.15pm, Thursday 3 November
Maritime is a poetry anthology gleaned from 35 years work and evokes the dramatic waterscapes, rocky shores and wind-blasted textures of his native Hebrides. It follows the success of Ian Stephen’s first novel, A Book of Death & Fish. For this event Ian’s readings will be accompanied by piano from Peter Urpeth and bass, Gary Carr.
A Coastguard for 15 years, Ian Stephen has been a full-time artist/writer since winning the inaugural Robert Louis Stevenson award in 1995.
The Brilliant & Forever: Kevin Macneil
Part of North Atlantic Cabaret #1
7pm, Thursday 3 November
The Royal Literary Fund Talk.
On an island like no other, this year, three best friends – two human, one alpaca – are chosen to compete in the annual Brilliant & Forever literary festival. A whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-loud satire on what we value in culture and in our lives, and a moving exploration of integrity, friendship and belonging.
Kevin MacNeil was born and raised in Lewis. A multi award-winning poet, novelist, screenwriter, playwright and editor he has written five books and edited a similar number. He is published internationally and has taught creative writing at the universities of Uppsala, Edinburgh and Kingston.
Kevin returns to Faclan with his first novel since A Method Actor’s Guide to Jeckyll & Hyde. He will be introduced by a representative from the Royal Literary Fund, who are sponsoring the event.
Leviathan: 2012, Lucien Castaing Taylor and Véréna Paravel (87m)
5pm, Thursday 3 November
An extraordinary, experimental documentary shot aboard a North American fishing trawler. For Leviathan, the filmmakers worked 20-hour shifts using tiny GoPro underwater cameras that could be attached to people, fish or objects to capture the film’s raw images, natural sounds and to create an effect that is almost hallucinatory.
North Atlantic Cabaret #1
7 pm – 10pm, Thursday 3 November
This is a one-ticket event. An evening of words and music: Three exceptional writers from Scotland’s Northernmost and Westernmost Islands are presented in triptych, where their voices and views can resound and resonate; separately, distinctly and together. We open with the Royal Literary Fund talk with Kevin Macneil, followed by Ian Stephen and finishing with Malachy Tallack
The Old Man and the Sea 1999, Alexander Petrov (20m)
4pm, Thursday 3 November
A paint-on-glass animated short film based on the novella by Ernest Hemingway. Two and half years in the making, the film won many awards, including the Oscar for Animated Short Film. It was the first animated film to be released in IMAX.
Deep Water: 2006, Jerry Rothwell and Louise Ormond (92m)
2pm, Thursday 3 November
Acclaimed documentary based on the true story of Donald Crowhurst and the 1969 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race solo round-the-world in a yacht. The Daily Telegraph said it was “a movie which will reduce the hardest of hearts to a shipwreck”. It won the Best Documentary award at the 2006 Rome International Film Festival.
Rònaigh: North Rona
North Rona on the horizon
In association with Acair publishers, this is the kind of unique first-hand insight only the best local history can offer. An absorbing event about North Rona, the now uninhabited island 44 miles to the North East of the Butt of Lewis. It is hosted by the eminent Gaelic scholar, local historian (and much else besides) Finlay Macleod whose forefather was exiled from Ness to Rona in 1826 where he remained with his family for 5 years. Joining Finlay will be the renowned naturalist John Love whom he first met on a trip to Rona in 1971. The event will be chaired by Agnes Rennie, Director of Acair.
This event will be – at least partially – in Gaelic, but there will be simultaneus translation facilities available.
No Shame in Fear: Alex C Maclean (presented by Donald S Murray)
7pm, Islands’ Book Trust Launch
Alex C. Maclean was born on the Isle of Tiree in 1923, and lived there until the age of fourteen, when he went to sea. This is a rare first-hand account of the WW2 Atlantic convoys and the devastation of war. Stalked by German U-boats, cast adrift in a lifeboat, it also tells of the difficulties of the post-war period, in building a decent family life and coming to terms with his own history back on Tiree.
The Lost Weekend: 1945, Billy Wilder (104m)
5pm, Wednesday 2 November.
Compelling film noir based on Charles R Jackson’s 1944 novel about an alcoholic writer. Nominated for 7 Oscars it won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Writing. In 2011, it was added to the National Film Library Registry of the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”