LOST footage showing the daily lives of islanders in the Outer Hebrides over five decades is set to be aired this Hogmanay.
The hour-long documentary, Faodail: Found Film, will be shown by BBC ALBA on Tuesday night as it aims to pay homage to the heritage of the local communities on the islands from the 1930s to the 1980s.
More than 50 years of footage day-to-day footage was recovered by the Faodail Found Outer Hebrides Film Archive project and aims to give viewers a glimpse of everyday experiences living on the islands, including crofting, education and domestic life.
Filmmaker Annie MacDonald even managed to capture footage of a flamingo that had landed on Loch Ordais in Bragar in the 1970s.
Along with MacDonald’s footage a dozen other filmmakers' recordings, which have been digitised for the first time, will showcase an extensive archive of islanders' lives throughout the years and bring the community's rich heritage to TV screens.
Andy Mackinnon from the Faodail Film Archive, part of Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, said it is remarkable that films of the day-to-day islander's lives exist from so long ago.
“Through crowdfunding efforts, we have been fortunate enough to be able to digitise these collections of indigenous 8mm film footage that will now be showcased to BBC ALBA viewers this Hogmanay,” he said.
“While most of this footage has never been seen by contemporary audiences before, the film collection donated to the project will no doubt bring back fond memories of the Outer Hebrides for many viewers.
“With some footage now over 90 years old, it is remarkable that these indigenous filmmakers at the time had the foresight to capture day-to-day living in the Outer Hebrides. This vital footage is now helping us in our understanding of the social history of the Outer Hebrides and the preservation of Hebridean culture.”
Faodail: Found Film, produced by UistFilm, is currently available on BBC iPlayer in four 15-minute short episodes.
The episodes will premiere as an hour-long documentary on BBC ALBA on Tuesday at 8.30pm (in Gaelic with English subtitles).
