Arts the Catalyst: Craigmillar wins top award at Edinburgh International Film Festival

Congratulations to our Friends at Craigmillar!


The documentary Arts: The Catalyst, The Craigmillar Story has won The 2005 Saltire Society short documentary competition, supported by Baillie Gifford, at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The film was directed by Simon Hynd and produced by Mickey MacPherson at Plum Films. It was commissioned by Craigmillar Communiversity and funded both by Craigmillar Partnership and sales income from publications from Craigmillar Communiversity Press.

The documentary tells the story through the words of local people, actors and professionals who were involved in creation and development of The Craigmillar Festival Society. It uses footage from the BBC and local filmmakers from the sixties, seventies and eighties and excerpts from Bill Douglas classic 1972 film My Childhood. The film includes many voices from Craigmillar including Janet Howie singing When the People play their part, Helen Crummy, Muriel Wilkinson, Alice Henderson, Heather Henderson, Clare Elder, Joanne McPherson and many
others.

Also interviewed are Willie Roe, Richard Demarco, Steve Burgess and River City star John Murtagh.


As a voluntary group, The Craigmillar Communiversity has always sought to raise awareness of the importance of how the arts can be used as a catalyst to regenerate an area and The Craigmillar Festival Society is the recognised Scottish pioneer of this approach. The documentary was a development out of the hugely successful Arts The Catalyst Craigmillar Exhibition at The City Arts Centre last year.


The Craigmillar Communiversity has published a series of books and CDs including Janet Howie and The Community Musicals.

Helen Crummy said about the award: "This award is in recognition of the enduring creativity and strength of the families and people of Craigmillar".