Mallaig Primary School Community Film Project

The aim of this project was to use filmmaking and specifically visual poetry to engage the pupils of Mallaig Primary School with the socio-economics of Mallaig as a small town, specifically with reference to their own job prospects and likelihood of remaining in the area. The project used the 1963 BFI Archive film "Snow" by Geoffrey Jones as a reference point for seeing film as poetry. The film itself uses shots of the Glasgow to Mallaig railway which is also central to the towns economy. The children studied the history of the town with the assistance of the local heritage centre particularly the arrival of the railway and it's impact on the local herring fishing industry and its subsequent demise as a result of the fishing bans. They also studied present day economy and the shift from fishing to tourism. The film is a result this work and was made a in collaboration with local musicians.