Double BAFTA nod for budding filmmakers

Director Graham Hughes and writers Keith Grantham and Graeme McGeagh won a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award for debut feature ‘The Big Slick’ in 2011.

The three friends are all from Kirkintilloch and shoot many of the scenes in their films in and around their home town.

Their latest film ‘A Practical Guide to a Spectacular Suicide’, described as a “feel-good film about killing yourself”, was recently nominated for TWO of this year’s award - for best fictional film and best acting performance (by the multi-talented Graeme McGeagh).

The annual awards ceremony recognises, inspires and celebrates emerging practitioners from all over Scotland and gives up-and-coming screen industry talent an all-important platform to showcase their work to the wider industry.

And, while they lost out at the ceremony held at Glasgow’s Arches, the nominations have still been a boost for the young auteurs - who hope it may now be easier to find funding for their next work.

Graham Hughes explained: “We wrote the film in 2012 when we were all 23 and went on to crowd-fund the film - received about £3,000 from various friends and family.

“Although the £3000 was about 15 times more than we had to make our last film it was still a tiny amount - 10 per cent of the budget went to hiring a van for the week.

“It was the craziest feeling - all of our friends and family showing their faith in our abilities.

“With our producer, Kirsty Hutton, we went on to make the film in Spring 2013 and completed it in December.

“Since completion, the film has premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, and is due to play again at the Golden Linden Film Festival, in Bulgaria in May, as well as the Baftas.

“It feels great to be nominated again - it makes the last two years of blood, sweat and tears worthwhile.

“Hopefully now people will realise we’re not going away, we’re not one trick ponies and maybe somebody will actually give us some money to make a movie!”