Glimpses into Possible Scottish Futures
The National Theatre of Scotland and BBC Scotland have collaborated on the production of 6 new short films that explore Scotland’s future. The short films cover queerness, cultural identity, climate change, climate anxiety, AI and cloning. All of which are rooted specifically in the question ‘what does the future look like for Scotland?’. Future Acts is a celebration of Scottish artists, and is a set of wonderfully creative and different interpretations of the same theme. This follows the previous collaboration Scenes for Survival which was filmed over the pandemic.
The films are Smoke (written by Kieran Hurley, directed by Rianne White), Bed to the Future, Optimum (written by Uma Nada-Rajah,directed by Stewart Laing), Still Alive (written & directed by Hope Dickson Leach), Broth (written by Lesley Hart, directed by Sally Reid) and Un-Static (written by Natali McCleary, directed by Josefa Celestin). The shorts are all different genres, and therefore will appeal to different people, but there is something to appreciate in each one. Everything from sci-fi to horror to romance is represented in these films. Each one verges on the theatrical, as the focus of this project is clearly script, story and performance.
The films all had the same parameters, 1-2 actors in a single location with one day’s rehearsal and one day to film the short. This certainly explains the limited scope of the shorts, however this is not inherently a weakness. Even with these guard rails, all six shorts are incredibly different, though are all united in telling fundamentally human stories.
Particular praise should go to Bed to the Future’s humour and representation of a tender queer relationship. Un-Static was shot beautifully, and had almost the feel of a Wes Anderson movie to it, telling a story about diasporic identity that did not feel stereotypical. Still Alive managed to tell a story that was equal parts horrifying and hilarious. Smoke left me anxious, Broth told a story of unlikely connection and Optimum satirised modern dating.
This project feels like an ideal jumping off point for wider stories, and are a fantastic platform for emerging and established Scottish talent alike. I was left wanting more. It is difficult to write a straightforward review here as each of these stories are so different, however there will be something for everyone somewhere across all six of the shorts.