Aberdeen Jazz Festival Returns and Here's This Years Programme!
Good news, Aberdeen! After last year’s successful online events and October hybrid programme, Scotland's second-largest jazz event 'The Aberdeen Jazz Festival' is back for 2022, from March 17th - 27th with a full 10-day programme of exciting live events across the city!
This year the Aberdeen Jazz Festival will be featured in an expanded range of venues and even some stunning and unexpected settings! With favourite Festival places like The Blue Lamp, Lemon Tree, Spin, and Queen’s Cross Church on the schedule, but also the first-ever chance to hear top-quality acoustic artists in the afternoon at the Cowdray Hall; to step inside the magnificent, wood-panelled Society of Advocates plus check out a series of specially-commissioned performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths.
Aberdeen Jazz Festival – Venues and artists
The wide variety of venues is matched by the diverse range of music on offer from swing to funk; gypsy jazz to blues-rock; classy jazz vocals to late-night grooves. Highlights include ‘Jazz the Day!’ - a chance to mix and match 8 great events, across 3 venues, all with 1 ticket on Saturday 26th March - the perfect option when there are simply too many great events to choose from.
Included in the afternoon are well-established names alongside newcomers and new collaborations plus the chance for the audience to get in amongst the action by singing, dancing or playing with Ali Affleck’s all-star band.
SoundBath - a series of site-specific performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths
Another of the festival’s more unusual events is SoundBath - a series of site-specific performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths. Closed to the public since 2008, the vast, light-drenched, atmospheric cathedral-like space will inspire new music by Victoria Fifield and others. Not only a visual spectacle, but the acoustics of the cavernous Art Deco building will also create an amazing aural experience, with sound reverberating around the tiled walls and pool floor. A great unique opportunity to step inside and immerse yourself in this hugely atmospheric space filled with memories.
To further illustrate the diversity on offer, pianist Brian Kellock will take centre stage at Queen’s Cross Church to perform a sumptuous version of Gershwin’s classic Rhapsody in Blue, specially arranged for piano and a hand-picked 8-piece string orchestra. Meanwhile, at the other end of the musical spectrum, Young Pilgrims - an extraordinary 9-piece brass band brimming with jazz-rock energy - will be in residency for the festival’s final weekend. This is part of the festival’s drive to encourage sustainable practices, with travelling bands encouraged to contribute to the festival in several ways such as through collaborations and workshops.
Well-known names on the Scottish jazz scene abound with the Martin Kershaw Quartet; Latin jazz heroes, Son al Son, and pianist Alan Benzie’s Tribute to Herbie Hancock at the Blue Lamp; Rose Room and Ali Affleck’s Jazz Divas at the Cowdray Hall. Aberdeen musicians are also well represented, both those living here and star performers coming back home. Matthew Kilner will lead a two tenor sax band with Konrad Wiszniewski; Trombonist, Kieran McLeod, now a top name on the London jazz scene, will make his Festival debut as a leader, there will also be several performances by musicians from further afield including the genre-defying Shapes of Time Trio featuring Oone Van Geel and Mark Haanstra from the Netherlands plus Scotland’s very own Graeme Stephen. Blues-rock is well represented in the programme with the legendary King King and Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band performing at the Lemon Tree, plus Missouri-based blues power trio Hooten Hallers set to raise the rafters at the Blue Lamp.
First time national jazz organisation has been based in Aberdeen!
This will be the first Aberdeen Jazz Festival organised by a new team, as Festival promoter Jazz Scotland is delighted to announce the appointment of its new CEO Coralie Usmani. With a background in music education and community engagement as well as being a regular performer on the Aberdeen jazz scene, Coralie brings a wealth of experience and fresh ideas to the role.
Tickets and info
Ticket prices range from free to £25 and are available from www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com
The full line-up is available here: https://jazzscotland.com/collections/aberdeenjazzfestival
Featured image: AiiTee
Brighten up your winter nights at Belmont Filmhouse
As we make our way from Winter through to Spring, Aberdeen's Belmont Filmhouse cinema is a great way to brighten up a dark night or two. Their warm welcoming cinema screens have a wide range of films and seasons to enjoy.
We've taken a closer look at some of the screenings you can look forward to on top of their regular programming of new releases from the UK and around the world.
T A P E x Invisible Women Present: Touched | Sunday 13 Feb
Celebrate the diversity and fluidity of desire with Touched, an alternative early Valentine’s Day screening showcasing sensuous shorts by female and non-binary filmmakers. Co-curated by collectives T A P E and Invisible Women, this subversive and surprising programme connects filmmakers from across the decades, combining contemporary work with rarities from the archive.
Complemented by a Q&A, the result is a witty, intimate and unapologetically sexy selection of films that open up space for wider discussions about self-love, intimacy and longing. All short films and the Q&A are captioned.
Boiling Point | from Fri 18 Feb
Back by Popular Demand is the now BAFTA nominated high pressure, one-take drama BOILING POINT starring the brilliant Stephen Graham. The Guardian called this brilliant 2021 dark comedy a "spicy nerve-jangler served with a chargrilled side order of jet-black gallows humour."
Belle | from Tue 1 Mar
Suzu is a shy high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer. A visionary new anime from acclaimed Studio Chizu, BELLE, burns bright on our screens.
Death on the Nile | from Fri 11 Feb
While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress. Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this lavish, all-star new take on the Agatha Christie mystery classic DEATH ON THE NILE from the makers of Murder on the Orient Express. There will be a BSL screening on 27 Feb. Check the Belmont Filmhouse website for details on this and more BSL screenings.
Charlie Chaplin season
Also in February, alongside the new documentary THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN, Belmont Filmhouse will screen some of the master’s great works including:
· Tues 22 Feb – The Kid & The Gold Rush
· Wed 23 Feb – The Gold Rush
· Thurs 24 Feb – City Lights
· Sat 26 Feb + Sun 27 Feb – The Great Dictator & Modern Times
· Mon 28 Feb - Limelight
Belmont Filmhouse Juniors
Films for a younger audience every Saturday and Sunday! Tickets cost £5 per person
· Sat 12 & Sun 13 Feb – The Jungle Book
· Sat 19 & Sun 20 Feb – The King and the Mockingbird
· Sat 26 & Sun 27 Feb – Fantastic Mr Fox
For Crying Out Loud
Screenings for carers and their babies on Monday morning! Tickets are £5 per adult.
· Mon 14 Feb – Death on the Nile
· Mon 21 Feb – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
· Mon 28 Feb – The Duke
Find out more
Head to the Belmont Filmhouse website for more information and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
SPECTRA 2022 - All you need to know
SPECTRA is back for 2022 with a luminescent line-up ready to light up Aberdeen’s dark winter nights. This year artists, exploring Scotland’s Year of Stories, feature stunning new commissions, collaborations and Scottish premieres.
The massive event, which in previous years has drawn huge crowds, will take place between the 10th and 13th February. The city centre venues preparing to light up your night are Marischal College, Union Street, Broad Street, Upperkirkgate, Schoolhill, Marischal Square, Aberdeen Music Hall, and for the first time, inside Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Plan your visit with our SPECTRA 2022 interactive map
Writ Large
The SPECTRA 2022 highlight will be the world premiere of Writ Large, commissioned as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories. Created in conjunction with prize-winning arts production house Neu Reekie, Writ Large combines creative light installations with words to bring Scottish prose and poetry to life.
Comprising a series of five new commissions which explode the colourful and couthie words of contemporary Scottish poets, writers, musicians and artists onto buildings across the city centre including Aberdeen Art Gallery, Marischal College, Castlegate, Upper Kirkgate, and also Schoolhill.
Together
In addition to the world premiere of Writ Large, Together makes its Scottish debut at SPECTRA in 2022. This spectacular public-art installation. It offers audiences a unique and immersive experience generated by the written and spoken stories of local communities, artists and collaborators. It will dominate the Castlegate in Aberdeen city centre.
From design and fabrication studio Lucid Creates, Together was created as a reaction to the isolation of lockdown. This huge pavilion-like open space is designed as a place in which communities can come together to celebrate their unity and uniqueness. It's the first time ever that it has come north of the border.
Gaia and Museum of the Moon
And in another first, Aberdeen will welcome Gaia and Museum of the Moon by artist Luke Jerram. These awe-inspiring pieces take over two icon Aberdeen locations. They'll also be accompanied by a specially made surround sound composition by BAFTA award winning composer Dan Jones.
Located in the Sculpture Court of Aberdeen Art Gallery, Gaia provides the opportunity to see our planet, floating in three dimensions, and this 7-meter diameter installation creates a sense of awe and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.
Where Gaia gives viewers a perspective on earth, suspended in Aberdeen Music Hall, Museum of the Moon gives us a similarly breath-taking depiction of the Moon. Inspired by the fact that different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the Moon. And yet, despite these differences, the Moon connects them all. Museum of the Moon is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound.
Spectra is a fun and illuminating festival for all the family
Speaking about this year’s SPECTRA, Andy Brydon, Director at Curated Place, said: “We are over the moon (pun intended) to be welcoming so many amazing artists, collectives and creators to Aberdeen as part of SPECTRA, Scotland’s festival of light, this year. Thanks to the recent lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, we can continue to deliver a safe, fun and illuminating festival suitable for all the family.”
Pendulum Wave Machine
The incredible Pendulum Wave Machine, located at Broad Street, sees shimmering silver balls hanging in the air like floating mercury. They dance their way through patterns of order and patterns of chaos and alongside it, Hypercube resembles an infinity mirror in 3 dimensions. Featuring over 2,500 high density, high intensity LEDs between 6 perfectly engineered faces of a giant cube. It is also believed to be the biggest hypercube in the world. Both installations are the work of Travelling Light Circus.
Trumpet Flowers
Trumpet Flowers by amigo and amigo is also located on Broad Street and is one of this year’s only interactive installations. It is also the first time it has ever been seen in Scotland. These super-sized structures immerse audiences in a jungle of light, colour and sound. Visitors can make their own spectacular floral symphony of sound and light. In addition, catch one of the scheduled animated musicals scores throughout the evening.
Six Frames
And, last but by no means least, at Marischal Collage another world premiere will unfold as Six Frames from Illuminos takes centre stage. A playful interpretation of six stanzas from Sheena Blackhall’s poem, “On the Bus: nummer 1 route” Six Frames uses six repeating sections of the Marischal College façade alongside principles found in flick books and early animation, to take us on a journey through Aberdeen from the bus route of the poem.
Stay in touch with SPECTRA Aberdeen
Twitter: @SPECTRAaberdeen
Facebook: @Spectraaberdeen
Insta: @Spectraaberdeen
Website: spectrafestival.co.uk
Crime and cocktails: Granite Noir back for bloodcurdling festival
Aberdeen crime-writing festival, Granite Noir, will return in-person in February. Mystery, music, crime and cocktails are on the menu in the latest event. There will be a full programme of live, in-person events, workshops and performances.
In it's sixth year the festival is now a mainstay of Aberdeen's events programme. It has introduced audiences to amazing spaces around the city. This year that will include the Kirk of Saint Nicholas Uniting, the Central Library, Cowdray Hall and the Lemon Tree.
Jane Spiers, Aberdeen Performing Arts Chief Executive, is clearly thrilled about Granite Noir 2022. She told us," With true heavyweights of the genre next to the bold new voices of the future, we have a jam-packed weekend of events in store which really reflect the festival's firm North East roots, as well as attracting an international fanbase who return year after year to join us for what is a true celebration of crime fiction. Since its inception Granite Noir has really captured imaginations, and with author talks, exhibitions music and of course cocktails to enjoy, it would be a crime to miss it!"
The festival will welcome home-grown talent to the stage. This includes best-selling Scottish author Louise Welsh who introduces The Second Cut. It's the brand-new and long-awaited sequel to her award-winning The Cutting Room. Ann Cleeves, the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, will be joined by Alex Gray and Lin Anderson in a conversation chaired by Jenny Brown. World-renowned forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black and Professor Andrew Doig come together in an exploration of The Mysteries of Life and Death.
Authors delving into the murky past of Scotland’s history include Denise Mina. She will shed light on the death of David Rizzio. Along side her, Jenni Fagan will examine the obsessive mania of a king who saw the threat of witches all around him. S W Perry looks back to the sixteenth century with The Heretic’s Mark as does The Green Lady, Sue Lawrence’s tale of abduction and political turmoil set within Aberdeenshire’s Fyvie Castle. Leonora Nattrass dives into the revolutionary intrigue of 18th century London. Furthermore, Sara Sheridan sets her mystery in and around Edinburgh’s botanical gardens in 1822.
The Grit in the Granite
This is a new exhibition from Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives. The Grit in the Granite exposes the darker side of Victorian Aberdeen. The Granite City’s population more than doubled in the 19th century when many magnificent buildings were constructed. Yet beneath the grand façade lurked grinding poverty leading to destitution, juvenile delinquency, crime and prostitution. One victim brought to life in an accompanying talk by Dr Dee Hoole, from the University of Aberdeen, and Phil Astley, City Archivist at Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives, is Grace McIntosh who made her first court appearance in 1838 aged just 11. Her repeated trials and incarceration left a remarkable historical record of a life lived in poverty and desperation.
Novelists often ensure that the scene of the crime is a character in its own right and their detectives are shaped by the cities in which their stories take place. Granite Noir Ambassador Stuart MacBride joins Alan Parks and Marion Todd in a conversation with Sally Magnusson about their detectives and their relationship with the three Scottish cities in which their books are set. Leela Soma draws masterfully on her own dual-heritage to capture Glasgow’s richly multi-cultural nature in her novel, Murder at the Mela. International voices include Norway’s Kjell Ola Dahl who paints a fascinating portrait of Oslo’s interwar years while Swedish author, and former police officer, Anders de la Motte introduces Dead of Winter which he has set in a small, remote, rural community. A new voice from the Scandi-Noir genre is Silje Ulstein whose debut Reptile Memoirs is already a bestseller in Norway.
Champions of new writing
As well as well-kent names, Granite Noir champions new writing and the 2022 Festival welcomes debut novels from American author Ryan Collett, award-winning Scottish short story writer Euan Gault and Northern Ireland’s Hannah King. Airdrie author Graeme Armstrong’s debut The Young Team takes a look at the gang culture of central Scotland from the inside while Aberdeen University graduate Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé introduces Ace of Spades, an incendiary and compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into institutionalised racism. Locals in the Limelight returns with six of Aberdeenshire’s talented new writers reading extracts from their noir fiction. For anyone who has ever dreamed about becoming a published author, award-winning literary agent Jenny Brown hosts a workshop on How To Get Published covering everything from self-publishing to how to get yourself an agent.
Dr Julia Shaw, a psychological scientist (UCL) and a science communicator, is best known for her work in the areas of memory and criminal psychology. Sofie Hagen is a London-based Danish comedian, podcaster, and activist. Together they co-host the hugely popular and award-winning Bad People Podcast. They will be sharing some gripping stories and deplorable deeds in a live recording of an episode of this true crime podcast in front of the Granite Noir audience. Dr Kathryn Harkup follows her sold out 2020 Poisoned Cocktail workshop with a look at the reality behind the silly, and not so silly, ways to die in the world of 007. Audiences can lift the lid on the science behind the world’s most popular secret agent and sample his favourite cocktails along the way.
Aberdeen-based Ten Feet Tall Theatre presents Witch Hunt, a new production specially created for Granite Noir. Delving into Aberdeen’s past the performance brings women accused of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries back to life to tell their stories in the atmospheric setting of Kirk of Saint Nicholas Uniting. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles, gets a brilliantly farcical overhaul in Lotte Wakeham’s acclaimed production at Her Majesty’s Theatre. This ingenious adaptation offers a brand-new twist on possibly the greatest detective story of all time.
Granite Noir 2022 culminates with a performance by the world-renowned BBC Big Band who return to Aberdeen with a specially curated programme of classic TV and movie sound-tracks, from Shaft, Mission Impossible, James Bond, The Pink Panther and more to classic Big Band and swing numbers inspired by all things crime.
How is Granite Noir funded?
Granite Noir 2020 is supported by Aberdeen City Council and Creative Scotland and EventScotland. Councillor Marie Boulton, culture spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council, said: “Despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, Granite Noir has continued to grow its reputation as one of the UK’s premier literary festivals, and the 2022 edition promises to be one of the best yet. As well attracting established authors of international renown, it has over the years provided a platform for emerging talent, whilst bringing a distinctive North-east flavour to proceedings with innovative events. Granite Noir is helping mark out Aberdeen as a culture capital – and the council is proud to invest in its staging.”
Creative Scotland’s Alice Tarbuck said: “Granite Noir brilliantly links literature to the cityscape of Aberdeen, providing a rich offering of events in the North East of Scotland. A varied and inviting programme is sure to pique interest with a dazzling array of authors like Louise Welsh, Jenni Fagan and Leonora Nattrass alongside prodigious newer names like Graeme Armstrong.”
What you need to know
Tickets for all Granite Noir events are on sale to Aberdeen Performing Arts Friends on Wednesday 15 December at 10am and on general sale on Thursday 16 December at 10am. Tickets can be booked at granitenoir.com, by calling 01224 641122 and in person from the Box Office at the Music Hall and His Majesty’s Theatre.
About POST
Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury founded POST from a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. They therefore focus on community, culture and the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers; the people at a local level that make a positive impact on our city each and every day. So they use video, audio, writing and social media to amplify the voices in our community, and to ultimately give a platform to Aberdeen folk to engage and tell their own stories.
Recent work includes interviews with We Are Here Scotland founder Ica Headlam; Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Chef, an Aberdeen rapper who is pushing for success; an article by film director Mark Stirton about the state of high-rise buildings in the city; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of British Art Show 9.
So visit postabdn.com now to read a great selection of interviews and articles.
Caption This | New pop-up cinema dedicated to disabled audiences
A brand new accessible cinema experience launches to audiences this week. Caption This is a new series of pop-up cinema events with an aim to represent and engage disabled audiences. They aim to champion diverse stories both about and for those with a disability. Their first screening will feature the documentary Vision Portraits on 17-19 November.
The pop-up cinema strives to empower and prioritise Deaf and Disabled communities by reflecting this value in its programming and access measures. Audiences can look forward to a series of hybrid, virtual and in-person screenings throughout the year and across Scotland.
Charlotte Little - The driving force behind Caption This
The driving force behind the project is Charlotte Little, a deafblind Aberdeenshire access consultant with a passion for curation. She campaigns for for a better experience for disabled audiences, drawing on her own experience as a moviegoer. Speaking ahead of the launch, Charlotte told us, “Growing up, I never saw positive, authentic on-screen stories about disabled people. I didn’t experience my first accessible cinema trip until I was 17. Also, I didn’t see myself on the big screen until I was 20. I want to change that for the generations of young disabled kids after me.
She went on to explain why this means so much to her. Telling us, “I want disabled people to feel valued as audience members. I don’t want access to be an afterthought or seen as a burden. Working as an access consultant within the film exhibition sector and having a personal perspective as a hard of hearing and partially sighted moviegoer, I’ve seen how far we’ve come but I’ve also realised how much work we have left to do in order to standardise inclusive cinema experiences.
First showing | Vision Portraits 17-19 November
The first film showing as part of Caption This is the 2019 documentary Vision Portraits. It's a deeply personal documentary by filmmaker Rodney Evans in which he explores what it means to have vision while losing his own sight. Odie Henderson at rogerebert.com called it "an inspiring film. A funny and informative feature whose subjects were creative kindred spirits I’d never seen onscreen before."
Charlotte's passion for cinema is hugely infectious. A passion that she doesn't let go to waste. She's fighting to bring as many people into the cinema as she can, especially those who have felt under-represented. She told us, “I want more spaces and events that celebrate and prioritise representation and accessibility. I set up Caption This as my own contribution. Vision Portraits is our inaugural film because I’ve struggled with pursuing a career in the film industry as someone who’s losing their sight. I saw myself in Rodney Evans’ journey, and I hope that by showcasing this beautiful documentary, I’ll lend a hand to deconstructing the harmful misconception that blind and partially sighted people can’t be creative, that they can’t thrive and succeed in the arts, that they don’t have vision.”
What you need to know
Vision Portraits will be available to watch through the screening platform Eventive from Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th November. The film will have English captions available as well as English audio description. Tickets will be on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale from £0, £2, £4, £6, £8. There will also be a live discussion over Zoom and live-streamed to Eventive on Friday 19 November at 7pm with guest speakers Theresa Heath and Tara Brown. The live discussion will have live captioning, BSL interpretation, and the host and guest speakers will provide visual descriptions of themselves to make the event more accessible for partially sighted audiences.
Get tickets now on Event Live
Follow Caption This on Twitter
Event page on Facebook
About POST
POST was founded by Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury. They have a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. We focus on community, culture and the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers; the people at a local level that make a positive impact on our city each and every day.
Our recent work includes interviews with We Are Here Scotland founder Ica Headlam; Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Chef, an Aberdeen rapper who is pushing for success; an article by film director Mark Stirton about the state of high-rise buildings in the city; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of British Art Show 9.
Jane Spiers to step down as APA Chief Exec
Jane Spiers, chief executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts, is to stand down in the spring of 2022.
Janes time in charge of the cultural charitable trust has been one of great highs and lows. Perhaps the biggest project in her time was the 10M redevelopment of the Music Hall. Her team also launched three city festivals. True North, Granite Noir and the Blue Light youth arts festival all brought new cultural opportunities to the city.
Of course the Covid-19 pandemic was a huge challenge for the former book publisher. She worked tirelessly to make sure that APA remained solvent and to safeguard jobs. It reopened it's venues in recent weeks, and its great to see it in a relatively healthy state.
She spent a great deal of time as chief executive working to increase diversity. Both the work shown on stage and the increased engagement. Her work to further engage with the city's varied communities has been hailed by Aberdeen City Council culture spokesperson, Marie Boulton. She said, "Jane’s commitment to inclusivity in the arts is exemplary. She has significantly increased the range and diversity of people we reach through education and community programmes."
In 2019 Aberdeen Performing Arts was named Business of the year at the AGCC Northern Star Awards. Furthermore, Jane Spiers became the first woman to win a Lifetime Achievement Award.
"If I listened to my heart, I’d never leave Aberdeen Performing Arts"
On announcing that she was moving on, Jane seemed torn on the decision. She told us, "If I listened to my heart, I’d never leave Aberdeen Performing Arts but after a lifetime working in the arts, my head is telling me it’s time to step away. I’ve lived my dream job for the last ten years and it will be hard to say goodbye to my wonderful work family especially after what we’ve been through together in the last 18 months."
Craig Pike, Chairman of APA was keen to point out her leadership skills. He said, "She has been an inspirational and compassionate leader, never more in evidence than during the pandemic, tirelessly advocating and fundraising to keep us solvent, safeguard jobs and always with the welfare of her work family in mind."
Aberdeen Performing Arts will now being the search for Jane Spiers' replacement. If you like to know more about their recruitment process, check out the APA website.
About POST
Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury founded POST from a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. They therefore focus on community, culture and the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers; the people at a local level that make a positive impact on our city each and every day. So they use video, audio, writing and social media to amplify the voices in our community, and to ultimately give a platform to Aberdeen folk to engage and tell their own stories.
Recent work includes interviews with We Are Here Scotland founder Ica Headlam; Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Chef, an Aberdeen rapper who is pushing for success; an article by film director Mark Stirton about the state of high-rise buildings in the city; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of British Art Show 9.
So visit postabdn.com now to read a great selection of interviews and articles.
Take One Action is back to inspire a better world
The Take One Action film festival returns to Aberdeen on 22-24 October, hoping to inspire us to push for a fairer and more sustainable world. The Scottish charity, founded by film lovers, aim to bring audiences together through film screenings and conversations. They also hope to inspire audiences to take action for themselves.
This year they'll present challenging and urgent international cinema exploring social and environmental justice. And so, the hope is that audiences will have deeper conversations about the world we live in. Also, and perhaps more importantly, this could make people feel able take actual action to improve lives.
Belmont Cinema will play host in Aberdeen this year, and films have been made available on a pay-what-you-can basis. Organisers are keen to make the festival as accessible. Therefore all films are captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences
Tamara Van Strijthem, Take One Action's Executive Director, spoke of how pleased they were to be back presenting the festival. “After so many months apart, we are excited and grateful to be inviting audiences to celebrate the power of community and connection through world-changing cinema. COP26 in November represents such a crucial moment for our planet’s future. Subsequently, our programme offers a much-needed opportunity to pause and reflect – and to question just how we’ve arrived at the topsy-turvy reality we call our own.”
Take One Action is funded by The National Lottery and Scottish Government through Screen Scotland and also supported by Film Hub Scotland.
We're looking forward to this year's festival, so thought we'd let you know what to expect.
What films are on show for Take One Action 2021?
Living Proof
Emily Munro | UK | 2021 | 95min | English | Ages 8+ | World Premiere
Fri 22 Oct | 20:00 | Belmont Filmhouse | Tickets
A stunning new archive documentary that looks for the roots of the climate crisis in Scotland’s post-war history.
In the year that Scotland hosts COP26, the film asks was climate change inevitable? Director and curator Emily Munro searches for the roots of the climate crisis in our postwar history. In this new documentary, archive footage from the National Library of Scotland portrays a country shaped by demands for energy and economic growth. In addition, the eclectic soundtrack amplifies the voices of the past in powerful, and sometimes unsettling, ways.
150 years of moving image heritage can only offer us a glimpse of human history. However, the proliferation of video today makes the moving image a crucial way to document our impact on the planet. Are we heading into new territory, or are we caught in a cycle of familiar promises?
The Ants and the Grasshopper
Raj Patel & Zak Piper | USA | 2021 | 74min | English/Tumbuka | Ages 8+ | Scottish Premiere
Thu 23 Oct | 17:30 | Belmont Filmhouse | Tickets
How do the roots of change grow?
Anita Chitaya seems unstoppable as she works tirelessly to transform farming practices in her village in Malawi and turns gender discrimination on its head. But in her battle against drought and extreme weather events, she takes on her greatest challenge yet: persuading Americans that climate change is real.
She visits rural farms and urban food cooperatives across the US, navigating deep national divisions. In addition, she appeals to those in a position of privilege to embrace change with the urgency the climate crisis demands.
The Last Forest
Luiz Bolognesi | Brazil | 2021 | 76 min | Yanomami | Ages 12+ | Scottish Premiere
Sat 23 Oct | 20:00 | Belmont Filmhouse | Tickets
A mesmerising journey into the heart of Brazil’s Amazonian forest, in the footsteps of the Yanomami.
From missionaries to gold miners, the Yanomami people have endured centuries of violence at the hands of white colonisers. Developed in collaboration with the community itself, The Last Forest blends observational footage and dreamlike staged sequences to explore the Yanomami’s creation myths, their relationship to nature, and their ongoing struggle to preserve their natural environment.
Co-scripted by Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa, the film unfolds in lush cinematography, multi-layered soundscapes and ethereal musical sections. The film exposed the environmental and political threats affecting Indigenous Peoples in present-day Brazil. However The Last Forest is first and foremost a homage to the strength of a community coming together. People honouring its traditions and stand up for its rights - and its future.
The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel
Joel Bakan & Jennifer Abbott | Canada | 2021 | 106 min | English | Ages 12+ | Scottish Premiere
Sun 24 Oct | 17:30 | Belmont Filmhouse | Tickets
An urgent takedown of corporate greenwashing that pulls no punches.
Finally, the filmmakers behind 2003’s global hit “The Corporation” return after almost 20 years with their “Unfortunately Necessary Sequel”. They investigate how the corporate takeover of society is being justified by the sly rebranding of corporations as socially-conscious entities. Furthermore, The New Corporation lays bare the disturbing realities of companies’ desperation to achieve profit at any cost. From the climate crisis through to racial injustice and surging inequality.
Far from a sigh of despair, however, this punchy documentary celebrates the groundswell of movements taking to the streets in pursuit of justice and the planet’s future. It also provides a providing a rallying cry for social justice, deeper democracy, and transformative solutions.
What you need to know
Where: Belmont Filmhouse Cinema
When: 22-24 October 2021
Price: Pay what you can (£0 to £10)
Living Proof | Fri 22 Oct | 20:00
The Ant and the Grasshopper | Thu 23 Oct | 17:30
The Last Forest | Sat 23 Oct | 20:00
The New Corporation | Sun 24 Oct | 17:30
About POST
Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury founded POST from a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. They therefore focus on community, culture and the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers; the people at a local level that make a positive impact on our city each and every day. So they use video, audio, writing and social media to amplify the voices in our community, and to ultimately give a platform to Aberdeen folk to engage and tell their own stories.
Recent work includes interviews with We Are Here Scotland founder Ica Headlam; Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Chef, an Aberdeen rapper who is pushing for success; an article by film director Mark Stirton about the state of high-rise buildings in the city; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of British Art Show 9.
So visit postabdn.com now to read a great selection of interviews and articles.
WayWORD Festival returns to Aberdeen
WayWORD is returning to Aberdeen from 19-26 September. The literary festival, which organisers first launched in 2020, will shine a spotlight on unconventional forms of expression. Online and in-person visitors can expect an especially inspiring line-up of poets, artists, writers and creators for author events, workshops, performances and discussion panels. A talented group of young people are behind the WayWORD festival, while University of Aberdeen play host.
Organisers aim to bring under-explored arts and artists in to view. This year’s line-up includes workshops in animation, Bothy ballads, and creative writing to improve mental health. Headliners include Val McDermid, Karine Polwart, Irvine Welsh, Alex Wheatle, A.L. Kennedy and Kirstin Innes. With more than 40 events covering topics such as nature, beauty, witches, poetry, music, comedy, Gaelic playwriting, dance, painting, and sound art, there is something for everyone at WayWORD’s 2021 festival and all tickets are FREE!
Our WayWORD Highlights
We've picked out a few of the events taking place throughout the week that have caught our attention. There are nearly 50 separate events over eight days, so make sure you check out the WayWORD event website to see what takes your fancy.
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé | Sunday 19 Sep
The festival opens with an author discussion with a University of Aberdeen graduate. At just 22, Àbíké-Íyímídé is already a New York Times bestselling author for her debut novel. Ace of Spades is a high-school thriller that tackles institutionalised racism as well as homophobia in the black community.
Irvine Welsh in Conversation with Alan Warner | Wednesday 22 Sep
Irvine Welsh's debut, Trainspotting is perhaps Scotland's most well known books of the 1990's. Danny Boyle adapted the supposedly un-filmable novel into one of the greatest British movies of all time. Welsh is outspoken, forthright and a sometime pain in the arse to those in power. Alan Warner, one of Scotlands best loved literary figures, teaches at University of Aberdeen. He has penned nine novels, many winning awards along the way. His latest novel, Kitchener 434 explores delusional male behaviour. The pair, who recently collaborated on The Seal Club along with John King, will discuss life and writing and conclude with a Q&A session.
North-East Voices at The Blue Lamp | Wednesday 22 Sep
The Blue Lamp hosts an extravaganza of North-East words, music and film with writers, performers and musicians. The night will feature Shane Strachan, an Aberdeen writer and performer, North-East Makar Sheena Blackhall and also spoken word artist Noon Salah Eldin. Next up, Bothy Bass stars Affa Fine make an appearance. Twa loons fae Garioch fit like a bangin choon, ken? Finally, expect a performance from award winning Scots singer Iona Fyfe.
Writing Comedy with QI's Dan Schreiber | Friday 24 Sep
WayWORD welcomes Dan Schreiber, QI elf and one part of popular podcast No Such Thing As A Fish. He is also a producer and writer on The Museum of Curiosity and Frank Skinner’s The Rest is History. With his long-standing role researching for QI, he'll be bringing over ten years of stories and knowledge about the industry and the art form.
Val McDermid | Saturday 25 Sep
Val McDermid is one of Scotland's best known novelists. She has sold over 17 million books around the world. Her best selling series of suspense novels, Wire in the Blood, was adapted for TV. Val joins WayWORD to introduce her latest work, 1979. The new series will follow new character Allie Burns, a journalist exposing the criminal underbelly of Scotland. The Arts Lecture Theatre at University of Aberdeen will host what will surely be one of the most popular events of the festival.
What the WayWORD organisers say
Students and young people from across the city have organised the festival with guidance and mentoring from University staff. Mabel Chambers has been part of the student committee organising this year’s programme. She said: “It has been really heartening to see such exciting events and festivals going ahead after so much disappointment last year. Despite the challenges of organising such a large festival remotely, it has been amazing to have so many creative and interesting people pull together to perform and organise this year’s program.”
Festival Director, Dr Helen Lynch added: “Last year’s festival was such a success that coming up with something to build on that was a real challenge. The young people have done an amazing job of keeping it fresh and imaginative while putting in a huge amount of practical work to bring it all together. The festival has more than twice the number of events we had in 2020 and yet the programme is coherent as well as varied. There really is something for everybody in 2021.”
What you need to know
Where: Online and at venues across Aberdeen
When: 19-26 September 2021
Cost: Free
More Info: Event Website
Social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
WayWORD is a student and youth-led arts festival for people of all ages. WORD Centre for Creative Writing and University of Aberdeen have organised the festival. Workshops, author events, panel discussions and performance nights are all FREE and live online, with BSL interpretation.
About POST
Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury founded POST from a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. They focus on community, culture and the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers; the people at a local level that make a positive impact on our city each and every day.
The goal is to use video, audio, writing and social media to amplify the voices in our community, and to ultimately give a platform to Aberdeen folk to engage and tell their own stories.
Recent work includes interviews with Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Chef, an Aberdeen rapper who is pushing for success; an article by film director Mark Stirton abut the state of high-rise buildings in the city; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of British Art Show 9. Visit postabdn.com to read a great selection of interviews and articles.
The return of Aberdeen Performing Arts
Aberdeen Performing Arts has announced that all of its venues will re-open to the public from Tuesday 7 September. APA closed The Music Hall, His Majesty’s Theatre and the Lemon Tree on 17 March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown. This resulted in the arts charity rescheduling or cancelling over 700 performances and placing 270 staff on furlough.
Jane Spiers of Aberdeen Performing Arts
Chief Executive Jane Spiers said: “We are so pleased, relieved and grateful to be opening our doors again after such a difficult 18 months. We earn nearly 90% of our turnover through earned income and that was wiped out overnight. I can’t thank our loyal team enough, our furloughed team who stayed with us in spirit and the handful of retained team who ripped up their job descriptions and did whatever it took to keep us afloat. It’s a milestone moment for all of us and we can’t wait for curtain up. As we start to see people coming back to work it’s hard not to feel emotional. It’s much more than a turn of the key to get our three venues open again after so long and everyone is working so hard to get us there.”
“We are gradually phasing back and plan to offer a full programme again by November. For now, though, our immediate priority is to bring our beautiful buildings back to life and put measures in place to make sure that our customers and audiences feel safe and comfortable going forwards.
We’ve just put the finishing touches to a terrific Autumn/Winter season brochure. We’re so grateful to our audiences who donated so generously during the pandemic to help keep us going. There would be no show without you. Enjoy!”
New opening hours
Box offices at His Majesty’s Theatre and the Music Hall will open on Tuesday, September 7. They'll be open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am – 6pm. Coda Café in the Music Hall will be open from Tuesday, September 14. It opening hours of Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am – 5pm. HMT 1906 café and restaurant will remain closed until the end of November. This will allow APA to increase circulation space in the HMT foyer/box office as part of COVID safety measures.
What's on
The first performance at the Music Hall will be Nick Cave and Warren Ellis on Sunday 19 September, with the first event, the National Whisky Festival, taking place on Saturday 18 September. The first show at His Majesty’s Theatre will be the 100th Aberdeen Student Show, Freezin’ which runs at the theatre from Tuesday 14 September to Saturday 18 September, while at the Lemon Tree the first show will be The Wandering Hearts on Wednesday 8 September.
Don't miss out on our interview with Aberdeen Rapper Chef. He spoke to us this week about a BBC Scotland documentary about the Aberdeen hip-hop and R&B scene.
Temp Check: Director Mark Stirton
Mark Stirton is an Aberdeen loon through and through. It comes across in his dialogue, his humour. That dry whit that is particular to folk here the North-East of Scotland. His second movie has a legendary status with the people of Aberdeen, though it didn't travel well. One Day Removals is the story of Andy and Ronnie, a pair of Aberdeen removal men who have a very, very bad day. The sharp dialogue is in doric, peppered with as many swear words as you could possibly hope for.
His first film, The Planet, was a low budget sci-fi. He filmed it at Balmedie Beach with a budget of just £8000. No mean feat for a film that doesn't shy away from visual effects. Mark and his production team spent two years to create the models and effects.
2018 saw the release of his third feature length, Dark Highlands, a horror about a Japanese artist who visits Scotland, only to become the target of a crazed killer. It's a delicate blend beautiful cinematography and high tension with very little dialogue.
We reached out to Mark Stirton to find out a little bit more about the man behind the films. We want to find out what inspired him to became a filmmaker, what he’s been up to during lockdown, and his plans for the future.
It's been a crazy few months with a few highs and a whole load of lows. How are you doing right now? Have you been coping okay with lockdown...and coming out of lockdown? Have you been able to work?
Yeah, I was pretty reclusive anyway so it didn't affect me so much. However I couldn't go filming so I turned to animation and had rather a fun time working with Composer Jon Brooks on Wrong Time, Wrong Space which won a few nice awards.
Being locked down really destroyed my ability to put a crew together. Now I love my crew and I enjoy working as a group, but that was just impossible, so i turned to a project that one man theoretically could do alone.
Wrong Time, Wrong Space
Animation is new for you. Can you tell us about that experience?
Slight problem, I'm not an animator. So I opened some animation software, started to build my hero spaceship and made a deal with myself. If I could make the spaceship, I'd make the film. It took a while but eventually I had a hero model that could star in the film, so I just learned how to do each shot pretty much in chronological order.
But, I'll never do it again. I had this one animation project in my head, and that's yer lot. It was nice to finally get it done after years of thinking about it, but it would never have happened without a lockdown.
So did you you do all the work on Wrong Time, Wrong Space yourself?
My only real collaborator was composer Jon Brooks, who also scored Dark Highlands for me and will also be providing a full orchestral score for the new [version of] One Day Removals.
I knew my animation would be, kinda rudimentary, so Jon really had to bring the whole thing to life with his music, which he did beautifully. The best days for me were hearing his music come in, as I painfully pushed the film forward with maybe four seconds complete each week. Maybe six if I was lucky.
CGI animation is neither easy nor fast. Particularly since I was using some very old equipment to achieve the shots. After all, I didn't know we'd be locked down for months and months, so it's not like I had a CGI workstation sitting waiting, I had to improvise one!
Why film making?
Nobody comes out of the womb a fully fledged creator. What inspired you to set out on the path to making movies?
Avoiding going to prison. My path, as a younger stupider man, wasn't exactly smart or legal. I was going no-where, except probably to prison so I pulled myself together a bit, focused on what I wanted to do, then did it.
One Day Removals
I think it's fair to say most folk know you for One Day Removals, your 2008 Doric comedy set very firmly in Aberdeen and around. Tell us about how the idea for that came about and how you took that from script to screen.
It took a long time. I wrote the first version in around 1993, but I just couldn't find anyone interested in funding it, so it sat in a folder for a decade. But, little by little, digital technology advanced enough and was affordable enough that I was eventually able to mount a feature film version for around 60 grand. The basic idea never changed, what if two removal men accidentally killed not just one person, but a van load.
A lot of folk were shocked by the language. To me, though, it just reflects the way that folk in the north-east speak at work and in the pub. Was the swearing a conscious decision when you wrote it?
Yes. The screenplay was written in Doric and was full of swearing. It was very much a mission statement. This is the way we are going to do it and it won't change. Unfortunately that was also the path to distribution failure.
I remember at the time it was the sort of movie that people passed between friends and co-workers. It’s a great way to ensure people in the city see the movie. However, it’s probably not the most profitable of distribution methods. Did it ever get a commercial release?
No. The Planet was released commercially, Dark Highlands was released commercially, but the Raindance selected BIFA nominated One Day Removals, was not.
Aberdeen’s film industry
Aberdeen's film making scene is particularly small even while other creative industries in the city are hitting a bit of a moment in the sun. So why do you think Scotland's film industry is stuck in the central belt...even just in terms of filming locations? What do you think can be done to help our industry?
I'm hardly the person to ask. I'm a multi award winning director with distribution deals in America, Japan, France and HBO Europe, but in Aberdeen I am both unemployed and unemployable. You'd be as well asking me how to get a job at ASDA.
Tell us about your most recent film, the horror Dark Highlands. It's a very different film so you must have experienced a different set of challenges and frustrations.
Very much so. I like to change genres every time I make a new film. Sci-fi, to Comedy to Horror to Animation. Keeps things challenging. In terms of Dark Highlands the most challenging aspect was filming everything in the actual Highlands. Filming miles away from anywhere, with bad weather and midges was not something I'm rushing to do again.
However, as a budget conscious director I was aware of the amazing production values you get from going there. It's not exactly free and it takes plenty of planning, but visually it was worth it.
What do you think motivates you to create?
I'm not sure, but even during the pandemic I was animating away on a new project, so even if I'm alone in a flat, I'll create something!
Is there anything you'd have done differently in your film-making career? What advice would you give to your younger self?
To be honest I kept being surprised that we got anywhere. I was surprised that The Planet sold, I was surprised One Day Removals opened in London at a big fancy festival, so maybe I'd advise myself to have a little faith and not worry so much.
The future
As folk get the vaccine and we can hopefully get on with the next part of our lives, what are you up to? Is there a new movie on the way?
Yes, I'm writing it now. One Day Removals never gained any real popularity outside the North East, so I'm going to try it again only based out of London next time with two English actors. Call it the Lock Stock version.
Find out more
Thanks very much to Mark for his time. It’s fantastic to get an insight into a local industry that perhaps needs no small amount of attention. You can find more about the work of Mark Stirton on his website. If talking directly is more your thing, you can follow him on Twitter.
If you enjoyed this interview, check out our Temp Check with Colin Farquhar from Aberdeen's Belmont Filmhouse Cinema.
You can also watch One Day Removals in full right here!