Northbay Hall, Isle of Barra.

Venue Update for Barra 17 July 2021.

Due to unforseen circsmstance the venue for Barra HIFF Screenings has changed to Northbay Hall, Isle of Barra. We will update all the pages on this website by Monday 19th July 2021.

Address: Northbay Hall Northbay Isle of Barra HS9 5XY

Whale Wisdom

Documentary Country of Origin: United States & Austria, Documentary Year Released: 2018 Run time: 50min Language: English Director: Rick Rosenthal Description: Whales have long been a profound mystery to us. They live in a world so removed from our own that we can barely imagine their lives. Their environment is different, their senses are different, their relationships are different. What goes on inside those vast heads? How might such almost alien creatures see the world? How might they think? New science is beginning to give us some answers. Marine biologist and filmmaker Rick Rosenthal is on a journey to explore these insights, measuring the latest science against his own observations and long-held beliefs – and just maybe, getting a glimpse of the world as it must seem to these ocean giants. Captured on camera for the first time in ‘Whale Wisdom’, Rick films the astonishing behaviour of a humpback whale which, time and again, manages to outwit humans in order to get what she wants – their fish. She brilliantly thwarts each attempt by the managers of a salmon hatchery to keep her away. Her coup de grace – slipping in and out unseen into an enclosure barely bigger than herself. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 2pm. Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (outdoor screening): Tuesday the 20th of July at 5pm. Bernera Community Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 10am. Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Friday the 23rd of July at 5:30pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 11am.

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 11:00

Nevertown

Documentary Country of Origin: Australia Year Released: 2020 Run Time: 39min Language: English Director: Andrew Buckley Classification: 12 Description: Part surf film, part conservation film, Never Town takes a journey along some wild coastlines and talks with the people fighting to keep them wild. Filmed along the Southern Ocean coasts of Australia, it’s an exploration of what these places mean to surfers... and what surfers are willing to do to save them. Never Town features the surfing of Dave Rastovich, Dan Ross, Belinda Baggs and Heath Joske, set alongside conversations with coastal activists who are standing up against deepwater oil drilling and industrial fish farms. With coastlines around the world under pressure like never before from growing populations, rampant development and exploitation from resource companies, Never Town is a rallying call for surfers and local communities to stand together to protect the wild spaces around them. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Tuesday the 20th of July at 5pm. Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (Outdoor Screening): Tuesday the 20th of July at 5pm. Bernera Community Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 10am. Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Wednesday the 21stof July at 5pm. Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Friday the 23rd of July at 5:30pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 11am.

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 11:00

Maya the Bee 3: The Golden Orb

Childrens' Feature Country of Origin: Australia Year Released: 2021 Run time: 1h 28min Language: English Director: Noel Cleary Classification: PG Featuring: Coco Jack Gillies Description: When a bored Maya and Willi bust out of winter lockdown early, they are catapulted headfirst into a top secret mission! Entrusted with the care of a sacred seed, Maya and Willi team up with their old pal's Arnie and Barnie to deliver the seed to its new home atop the mysterious Bonsai Mountain. When their "seed" hatches, Maya and Willi come face to face with their biggest responsibility yet - a smooshy, squishy little princess! This adventure is a LOT more than they bargained for as they take on bounty hunters, thugs and ruthless enemies, to return the lost princess to her mountain colony, only to find it hanging in the balance of a turf war and remorseless predators. Willi discovers a side of himself that he never expected as he becomes protective of the tiny princess, but to save the her, and her colony, Maya must learn that trust is not just a word, it has to be earned! Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Wednesday the 21st of July at 2pm. Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (Outdoor Screening): Monday the 19th of July at 5pm. Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 2pm. Stoneybridge Hall, South Uist: Wednesday the 21st of July at 2pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 2pm.

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 14:00

A Place for Penguins

Documentary Country of Origin: South Africa Year Released: 2018 Run time: 13min 13sec Language: English Director: Tom Parry Classification: U Description: Africa is a continent famous for its wildlife. But there’s one resident that’s often overlooked, and many don’t even realise exists – the African penguin. However, years of overfishing have seen Africa’s penguins plummet to frighteningly low numbers, with scientists at the University of Cape Town recently heeding the gloomy warning that the species could be extinct by the year 2026. A Place For Penguins follows an unlikely duo as they team up and take on an ambitious, novel and entirely unique project – creating the world’s first artificially-induced African Penguin colony. This story demonstrates that science and art are not mutually exclusive. Conservation is a collaborative effort and if we are going to meet the challenges facing our planet we need to cooperate, think outside-the-box and break down traditional academic disciplines to unearth innovative solutions. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Wednesday the 21st of July at 2pm (accompanying Maya the Bee 3 feature). Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (OUTDOOR SCREENING): Monday the 19th of July at 5pm (accompanying Maya the Bee 3 feature). Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 2pm (accompanying Maya the Bee 3 feature). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Friday the 23rd of July at 2pm (accompanying Away feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 2pm (accompanying Maya the Bee 3 feature).

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 14:00

Surface

Documentary Country of Origin: United States Year Released: 2018 Run time: 7min Language: English Director: John Rodosky Classification: U Description: Surf photographer Ben Thouard spends his days underwater, floating on blue-green Tahitian waves. In a quest to find an original angle for ocean photography, he waits on a weather window for perfect conditions that happen just a few times a year. Sometimes it’s a lot of preparation for nothing. But occasionally, a rare compression of waves on the reef offer a fleeting window to a new and crystal-clear perspective of the place where sea becomes surface. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 2pm (accompanying Current Sea feature). Talla Na Mara, Isle of Harris: Tuesday the 20th of July at 4pm (accompanying Ice on Fire feature). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Thursday the 22nd of July at 5:30pm (accompanying Okavango feature). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Saturday the 24th of July at 2pm (accompanying Current Sea feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 5:30pm (accompanying Manry at Sea feature).

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 17:30

Manry at Sea- In the Wake of a dream

Documentary This is a UK Premiere Country of Origin: United States Year Released: 2018 Run Time: 1h 34min Language: English Director: Steve Wystrach Classification: PG (HIFF) Featuring: Bill Jorgensen & Steven Callahan. Description: In 1965, a seemingly typical middle-aged suburbanite in Cleveland, Ohio, threw caution to the wind and set sail on a solo voyage across the Atlantic, in a 13½ foot wooden boat called Tinkerbelle. Newspaperman Robert Manry’s goal was to sail from Falmouth in the US to Falmouth in the UK, and his 78-day epic journey will capture the hearts of ocean lovers, adventurers and dreamers alike. Screenings: Online via Indy On Demand (www.indyondemand.com): Link will be live between 19th - 24th of July. An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 5pm. Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (Outdoor Screening): Monday the 19th of July at 7:30pm. Berneray Community Hall, North Uist: Monday the 19th of July at 11am. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 5:30pm.

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 17:30

Berneray 8mm

Documentary Country of Origin: Scotland Year Released: 2021 Director: Andy Mackinnon Classification: U (HIFF) Description: The FAODAIL | FOUND Outer Hebrides Archive Film project has, thanks to the most generous donations to the crowdfunding campaign, digitised the Berneray 8mm archive film collection, donated by Gloria MacKillop, to a superb 4k definition quality. Gloria MacKillop was delighted to see for the first time footage of her 1968 wedding. The silent 8mm colour films, shot over two decades (1960-78) by Bill & Ann Scott during almost annual family holidays in Berneray, document many aspects of island life at that time including sheep shearing on small islands in the Sound of Harris, the arrival of the coal boat and often repeated scenes of leaving Berneray around the pier. These screenings will feature 30 minutes of extracts from the collection Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 5:30pm (accompanying Manry at Sea feature). Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 7:30pm (accompanying Arracht feature). Berneray Community Hall, North Uist: Monday the 19th of July at 5:30pm (featuring discussion with Archive Project Director and live music accompaniment with Kenny John Mackillop on the accordion). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Thursday the 22nd of July at 7:30pm (accompanying Mara the Seal Wife feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 8pm (accompanying Arracht feature).

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 20:00

Arracht

Drama Country of Origin: Republic of Ireland Year Released: 2019 Run time: 1hr 26min Language: Irish Gaelic (with English subtitles) Director: Tom Sullivan Featuring: Dónall Ó Héalaí Classification: 15 (HIFF) Description: Ireland, 1845 on the eve of The Great Hunger. Colmán Sharkey, a fisherman, a father, a husband, takes in a stranger at the behest of a local priest. Patsy, a former soldier in the Napoleonic wars arrives just ahead of 'the blight,' a disease that eventually wipes out the country's potato crop, contributing to the death and displacement of millions. As the crops rot in the fields, Colmán, his brother and Patsy travel to the English Landlord's house to request a stay on rent increases that Colmán predicts will destroy his community. His request falls deaf ears and Patsy's subsequent actions set Colmán on a path that will take him to the edge of survival, and sanity. It is only upon encountering an abandoned young girl that Colmán's resolve is lifted. Just in time for the darkness of his past to pay another visit. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 5pm. Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 7:30pm. Stoneybridge Hall, South Uist: Wednesday the 21st of July at 7:30pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Friday the 23rd of July at 8pm.

Friday, July 23rd 2021 - 20:00

The Art of Weaving

Documentary Country of Origin: United States Year Released: 2019 Run time: 11min Language: English Director: Jeremy Seifert Classification: U Description: "The Art of Weaving" is a glimpse into the life and work of Jessica Green, an innovative weaver and homesteader who lives in the Sandy Mush Community of Western North Carolina. This region of Appalachia is known for its deeply rooted traditions of weaving and artisanship. Green’s traditional weaving patterns—also known as ‘recipes’— take inspiration from the designs of Colonial American coverlets. Green aims to “deconstruct and reinvent to discover a craft that feels like my own retelling of the past.” Carrying forward a mostly women’s tradition of craftsmanship, Green takes pride in being a part of a nationwide resurgence of local artisan weavers. In the face of overwhelming economic pressure from corporate mass producers, Green is working “to bring a threadbare history back into consideration.” “Being a weaver and a homesteader,” Green says, “is a lifestyle that’s based both in remembering and trailblazing.” Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 5pm (accompanying Iorram feature). Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (OUTDOOR SCREENING): Monday the 19th of July 7:30pm (accompanying Manry at Sea feature). Grinneabhat Community Room, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 7pm (accompanying Iorram feature). Talla Na Mara, Isle of Harris: Tuesday the 20th of July at 1pm (accompanying Iorram feature). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Saturday the 24th of July at 5:30pm (accompanying Iorram feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 11am (accompanying Iorram feature).

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 11:00

Iorram

Iorram - Documentary Country of Origin: United Kingdom Year Released: 2021 Run time: 1hr 38min Language: Scottish Gaelic (with English subtitles) Director: Alastair Cole Classification: PG Description: Iorram is a lyrical portrait of the Gaelic-speaking fishing community in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, and its intimate relationship with the sea. This first-ever theatrical documentary entirely in Scottish Gaelic blends archive recordings of voices, stories and songs from the past with visuals of island life today and a contemporary folk score, to take the audience on an immersive and moving journey into the heart of an ancient community struggling to preserve its identity in the modern globalized world. At the heart of the film is an extraordinary trove of sound archive, recorded by pioneering Scottish ethnographers in the mid-20th century, who visited the Outer Hebrides to capture the hardship and romance of life lived in precarious balance with the sea, spoken in a language shaped by the waves. These newly restored recordings preserve an oral history of practical lore and mystical legends passed down through generations of Gaelic speakers, but now on the brink of fading away forever. Director Alastair Cole places these voices from the past alongside stunning visual imagery of the daily working rhythm of the islands today, on land and on water, shot over three years. The tough realities of fishing and gutting in all weathers and seasons co-exist alongside superstitions and visions of mermaids, faerie folk and mysterious vanishing islands. A score by award-winning folk musician Aidan O’Rourke weaves together sound and vision in an emotional and cinematic narrative of toil, laughter and loss. The sea has always sustained this community, while also holding the power to ravage the lives of the families who rely upon it. The film offers whispers and shadows of people and tragic events long since gone, yet whose memory continues to shape life on the islands today. As Scotland and the UK enter a new future, this provides a reminder that the threads of history and identity at this furthest edge of the British Isles are woven, unmistakably, in the lyrical power of the Gaelic language. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 5pm. Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis: (Outdoor Screen): Tuesday the 20th of July at 2pm. Grinneabhat Community Room, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 7pm. Talla Na Mara, Isle of Harris: Tuesday the 20th of July at 1pm. Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Saturday the 24th of July at 5:30pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 11am.

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 11:00

Backyard Wilderness

Childrens' Feature Year Released: 2018 Run time: 42min Language: English Director: Susan Todd & Andrew Young. Classification: U Description: This large format digital film follows the daily dramas of common animals - like the turtle, heron, frog, raccoon and dragonfly - juxtaposed with the activities of nearby humans more concerned with their computer screens, mobile devices, and the endless pursuit of money and status. The film will tell the story of our disconnect with nature, with the aim of inspiring a new and transformative connection. Screenings: Grinneabhat Community Room, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 10am. Kinloch Community Hub, Isle of Lewis: Wednesday the 21st of July at 2pm. Stoneybridge Hall, South Uist: Tuesday the 20th of July at 2pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 2pm.

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 14:00

The Owl and the Pussycat

Animation Country of Origin: United Kingdom Year Released: 2020 Run time: 4min Director: Mole Hill Classification: U Description: The Owl and the Pussycat set sail with their few precious possessions on a journey in which they learn nothing and lose everything except each other. This 4 minute film by Mole Hill has been made using an innovative ‘waximation’ technique to mark the 150th anniversary of Edward Lear’s evergreen nonsense poem. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Tuesday the 20th of July at 11am (accompanying The Call of the Wild feature). An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 2pm (accompanying Away feature). Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis (OUTDOOR SCREENING): Tuesday the 20th of July at 10:30am (accompanying 100% Wolf feature). Bernera Community Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 2pm (accompanying Away feature). Berneray Community Hall, North Uist: Monday the 19th of July at 8pm (accompanying Aquarela feature). Stoneybridge Hall, South Uist: Wednesday the 21st of July at 2pm (accompanying Maya the Bee feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 2pm (accompanying Backyward Wilderness feature).

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 14:00

Ice On Fire

Documentary Country of Origin: United States Year Released: 2019 Run Time: 98min Language: English Director: Leila Connors Classification: PG Featuring: Leonardo Dicaprio Description: Can we reverse climate change? Ice on Fire explores the many ways we reduce carbon inputs to the atmosphere and, more important, how to "draw" carbon down, bringing CO2 out of the atmosphere and thus paving the way for global temperatures to go down. Reversing climate change is urgent, given that the world passed 400 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere resulting in climate instability across the globe. We have heard the predictions but now climate related events are a daily reality - summer 2018 was the hottest on record, storms are stronger, droughts are longer, the arctic ice is thin or non-existent and antarctica is melting faster than predicted. Through visiting visionaries and scientists young and old, the film explores the deep hope that we can turn away from the brink. And, just as we figure out drawdown, we face an added complexity, the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas in the arctic, that is now entering the atmsphere. As the film says: "Is it game over? Or is it game on? As we have at hand, the ability, the capacity, and solutions that can reverse global warming...not mitigate, not reduce, not stabilize, but reverse.' Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Tuesday the 20th of July at 7:30pm. Talla Na Mara, Isle of Harris: Tuesday the 20th of July at 4pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 5:30pm.

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 17:30

The Elvermen

Documentary Country of Origin: United Kingdom Year Released: 2021 Run time: 14min Language: English Director: Isle Badenoch Classification: U Description: As the sun sets on the banks of the River Severn on the outskirts of an impoverished city in the UK, a group of men gather in a race to catch a vanishing creature, the elusive elver. THE ELVERMEN is an atmospheric short film shot over a moonlit night that reveals the last of a hidden community hunting an endangered fish. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 2pm (accompanying Whale Wisdom feature). Bernera Community Centre, Isle of Lewis: Friday the 23rd of July at 8pm (accompanying Horse Thieves: Roads of Time feature). Berneray Community Hall, North Uist: Monday the 19th of July at 11am (accompanying Manry at Sea feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 5:30pm (accompanying Ice on Fire feature).

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 17:30

OK Chloe

Documentary Country of Origin: New Zealand Year Released: 2020 Run time: 9min Language: English Director: Charlotte Evans Classification: 12 Featuring: Chlöe Swarbrick Description: Millennial MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, challenges the establishment during the most important year of her political career. In a momentous year, Aotearoa’s youngest MP vows to radically change the political status quo from within. But behind the ‘OK Boomer’ politician is a person. Chlöe must weigh up the pressures placed on her versus her innate desire to make a difference. Learn what it’s truly like being a revolutionary member of parliament in a political system disconnected from those it represents. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 7:30pm (accompanying Dark Waters feature). Stoneybridge Hall, South Uist: Tuesday the 20th of July at 7:30pm (accompanying Nomadland feature). Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Saturday the 24th of July at 8pm (accompanying Dark Waters feature). Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 8pm (accompanying Dark Waters feature).

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 20:00

Dark Waters

Drama Country of Origin: United States Year Released: 2019 Run Time: 2hr 6min Language: English Director: Todd Haynes Classification: 12A Featuring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins & Bill Pullman. Description: Dark Waters tells the shocking and heroic story of an attorney (Mark Ruffalo) who risks his career and family to uncover a secret hidden by one of the world’s largest corporations and to bring justice to a community dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals. Corporate environmental defence attorney Rob Bilott has just made partner at his prestigious Cincinnati law firm in large part due to his work defending Big Chem companies. He finds himself conflicted after he’s contacted by two West Virginia farmers who believe that the local DuPont plant is dumping toxic waste in the area landfill that is destroying their fields and killing their cattle. Hoping to learn the truth about just what is happening, Bilott, with help from his supervising partner in the firm, Tom Terp (Tim Robbins), files a complaint that marks the beginning of an epic 15-year fight—one that will not only test his relationship with his wife, Sarah (Anne Hathaway) but also his reputation, his health and his livelihood. Screenings: An Lanntair Arts Centre, Isle of Lewis: Thursday the 22nd of July at 7:30pm. Grinneabhat Community Room, Isle of Lewis: Saturday the 24th of July at 7pm. Carinish Village Hall, North Uist: Saturday the 24th of July at 8pm. Castlebay Community Hall, Barra: Saturday the 24th of July at 8pm.

Saturday, July 24th 2021 - 20:00