Thurso showing for George Gunn film that focuses on Caithness
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A film about Caithness, its people and landscape is to be screened in Thurso next week.
Words On The Wind, which was developed and produced by local writer George Gunn when he was an artist in residence at Lyth Arts Centre, can be seen at the Central Hotel on Wednesday and Thursday nights, May 1 and 2.
It was premiered at Lyth at the end of last year but Gunn wants to take it to a wider audience and show it elsewhere in Caithness and at film and poetry events in Edinburgh.
He said: “A lot of people have asked to see the film since it was shown at Lyth so this will be a chance for people in Thurso and those who were unable to go to Lyth to see it. There will be a capacity of 50 on each night. Hopefully, over the two nights we will get around 100 people there.”
Words On The Wind features local people talking about places that inspired them. It has a commentary by Gunn and music by Wick fiddler and musician Gordon Gunn, whose son Steven did the filming. Those taking part are: Heather Calder-McPhee, Andrew Mackay, Gail Brown, Scott Shearer, Kevin Sabiston, George Bethune, Mandy Beattie and Donna Booth at locations including Castlehill, near Castletown, West Greenland, Castletown beach, Thurso, Dunbeath, Ackergill and Wick.
The contributors speak about what Caithness means to them, its community spirit, the landscape, the challenges the place faces and its opportunities.
The film, which is about 50 minutes long, will be screened at 7.30pm on both nights. Admission is free but booking is advisable. To do so contact: g290gunn@btinternet.com
Meanwhile, Gunn, who lives in Thurso with his wife Christine, is working on a book of poetry called The Peedie Sea.
It will feature poems and songs for children of all ages and involve Castletown, Canisbay and Crossroads schools.
The idea for the book came to Gunn when he was working online with Caithness pupils during the Covid pandemic.
He decided to write a book of poems and songs for children of all ages. Gunn received funding for the project from Creative Scotland and hopes the book will be published by Drunk Muse Press next spring. The company previously published his Chronicles of the First Light volume of poetry.
On The Peedie Sea, Gunn said: “The poems and songs will be in a mixture of Caithness Scots, English and Gaelic. This will reflect the linguistic history and culture of Caithness and allow the children who read and sing them to become familiar with their own literary and oral traditions and to imaginatively inhabit the landscape from which they originate.
“The idea, through the poems and songs, is to make the local universal, to elevate the commonplace to a magical level so that children anywhere in the world who come across The Peedie Sea can enjoy it and enter into that celebratory space.”
He added: “My intention is to make the book – and Caithness – the starting point so a child can explore their own creativity and enjoy that revelation. My desire is for children to own the work and to find their voice.”
