Film-Makers from Holland

The cheerful group of Dutch film-makers who have been around West Ardnamurchan for the last week are making a short feature film, some 30-40 minutes long. Herault - which means herald, the carrier of messages in the mediaeval world - tells the story of an event - the running over of a cat - and the way it affects two, quite separate groups of people.

As director Rosanna Pel, above, explained to The Diary, "The human participants, two young men and a girl in one group, and an old lady and a grocery delivery man in another, only meet in passing, at a petrol station, and even then they do not realise the connection. The film is about lonely people, shot in lonely places."

Rosanna, her producers and the crew are students at the Utrecht School of Art, and the film is their final project, so will be assessed. But the story, written by them, has attracted the support of professional actors who are giving their time free to the students. Niels and Anna are two of the stars. They've come here to support the students, and to enjoy the beauties of this part of Scotland.

One of the student producers is Laimis Zelnys, from Lithuania. He described the struggle they had to raise money to cover their costs but insists that it was the good story-line that unlocked funds. He explained that, because the events aren't filmed in the order they occur, they had already filmed the final scene, in the Twin's house at the end of Ormsaigbeg; and, he said, it reduced them all to tears. The students' hope is that the film will be shown at the Dutch Film Festival, and that it will also appear on television, at home in Holland but also, perhaps, in Scotland.

While much of the film has been shot during the week they've spent in and around Kilchoan, at the lighthouse, and at Sanna, they have also used locations along Loch Linnhe and in Glencoe. They've had some trouble with the weather - while The Diary was talking to them, a heavy shower interrupted filming - but seem impressed by the warmth of the reception they've had from local people and with the beauty of this place. The hills of Scotland are, after all, quite a contrast to the flat lands of their home.

The film has its own website, here.