Kirkcaldy short film secures festival screening

Cold - a film being made by Gavin Hugh from Kirkcaldy about coping with depression at Christmas time.

A Kirkcaldy-produced short film exploring mental health and depression has been officially selected for the Scottish Short Film Festival.

Cold, produced by MidgieBite Media, will be screened as part of this year's film showcase which runs from September 6-11.

The event culminates in a live online awards ceremony on Saturday September 12.

The cast and crew of the film Cold on location in Boat of Garten. From left to right: Nicola Patrick, Gavin Hugh, Joshua Gajree, Rowan Birkett, Craig J Seath and Steven J Quinn.

Written and directed by Gavin Hugh, Cold starred Rowan Birkett as a young woman struggling with her mental health in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Filming took place at locations throughout Scotland, including Kirkcaldy, Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Newmills and Edinburgh.

The team also travelled to Aviemore and Boat of Garten to film a number of scenes in the snowy Cairngorms.

In early 2019, a crowdfunding campaign raised a total of £1135 towards production of the film.

The film premiered in December 2019 at a special event at the Kings Live Lounge in Kirkcaldy, which raised funds for the Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH).

Gavin said: "This is a fantastic recognition for the whole team, and we're immensely grateful to have had our film selected.

“Cold was a very personal project for all of us, and we're genuinely delighted that it's resonated with people.

"For a film called Cold, it's had a very warm response!"

This year's Scottish Short Film Festival was set to take place at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, but it has become an online event in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gavin’s company is also behind the launch of a Creative Film Fife Network showcase and networking Event on Friday September 18. It starts at 7:00pm.

The event will feature a streamed selection of short films from film-makers across Fife and beyond, followed by a Q&A session and networking event with the filmmakers.

Gavin said: "Fife has some fantastic film-making talent which deserves to be showcased and recognised.

“The Creative Film Fife Network was set up to create that platform and bring local filmmakers together as a community.

"We had a really exciting networking night planned at the Kings Live Lounge in Kirkcaldy in May, though sadly, we had to call it off due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Right from the start of lockdown, we were determined to hold an online event later in the year to spotlight local talent.

“It's fantastic to now be able to confirm this event, which is the first ever online showcase and networking event hosted by the Creative Film Fife Network."

More details will be announced soon.