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National Library of Scotland

Biography of 'Scottish Screen Collection'

Publicly funded film collection

In April 1997, the Scottish Film Council, Scottish Screen Locations, Scottish Broadcast and Film Training and the Scottish Film Production Fund merged to form the non-departmental government body Scottish Screen. Creating a ‘one stop shop’ for the screen industries was important and built on the momentum of success stories such as Braveheart (1995), Rob Roy (1995) and Trainspotting (1996). Scottish Screen had an ambitious remit - concerned with cultural and educational access to screen heritage as well as the business and resourcing of film-making in Scotland.

As the parent body of the Scottish Screen Archive, Scottish Screen had an obligation to preserve films funded from the public purse, particularly relevant now distribution of Lottery funds was its responsibility. Although funding arrangements existed between its predecessor bodies and other organisations (eg. broadcasters), Scottish Screen also introduced a clause in production agreements that provided for a copy of the finished work to be deposited for archival preservation.

In 2007, the Scottish Screen Archive transferred to the National Library of Scotland, and with it, the responsibility to continue collecting film, video and born digital work. Scottish Screen transferred their former distribution collection and back catalogue to the Archive, much of which was earlier work not covered by the new arrangements. This diverse collection of modern Scottish film production now promises to grow in partnership with Creative Scotland from 2010 and far into Scotland’s digital future.

The collection contains creative and factual documentary, experimental artists film, video dance, animation, comedy, horror, drama …. They include films made by people of all ages, some featuring Scottish actors ‘before they were famous’, and there are plenty of lesser-known titles to explore, eg. THE EVANESCENT HERB GARDEN OF DEATH (1993)

Dating from the early 1980s onwards, such works have generally been made through a variety of funding and training initiatives. Scottish Screen and its predecessor bodies ran such schemes in collaboration with partners, ensuring vital broadcast and theatrical exposure for new filmmaking talent.

First Reels (1991 - 1999), in collaboration with Scottish Television, offered small financial incentives (£50 - £2000) but more importantly, hands-on experience and exposure. The scheme proved a springboard to greater things for talent such as Peter Mullan, David Tennant and Hannah Robinson, yet supported community groups (Pilton Video, Castlemilk Elderly Forum), individual animators, dancers, students and video artists. Prime Cuts (1996 - 1998) followed, encouraging innovative films on 16mm between 5 – 7 min, from documentary to experimental. Graduates of this scheme include acclaimed video dance artist, Katrina McPherson and directors Morag MacKinnon, Justin Molotnikov and Elly M. Taylor. Tartan Shorts (1993 - 1996), Tartan Smalls (2002 - 2005) and the Gaelic language Geur Ghearr (1996 - 1998) - schemes working with with BBC Scotland and Comataidh Craolaidh Gaidhlig - led to short films shown on family television sets across the country, and those same titles distributed to festivals across the world. Amongst this collection is the Oscar-winning FRANZ KAFKA'S IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1993), This Scotland (2002 - 2005) and New Found Land (2000 - 2004) are examples of schemes co-funded by STV and Grampian that produced a variety of productions with longer running times of up to 25 min and a strong emphasis on quality documentary.

Around 2002, a slight shift away from shorts to predominantly Scottish-funded features as well as international co-productions is evident. These range from the hard-hitting 16 YEARS OF ALCOHOL (2003), to the lighthearted STONE OF DESTINY (2008). SEACHD - INACCESSIBLE PINNACLE (2007) is the first feature film in the language of Scottish Gaelic to achieve mainstream cinematic distribution. (The archive holds deposit copies on 35mm as well as HD). International co-productions include SKAGERRAK (2004) and animated THE THREE MUSKETEERS (DE TRE MUSKATERER) (2006).

Aside from the funded schemes, there is much to enjoy. Music video 4 Minute Wonders (2001 - 2003) feature Scottish bands and record labels (Soma, Chemikal Underground). Bridging the Gap (since 2004) remains an intelligent, creative force in Scottish film-making. Scottish Students on Screen (started c. 1999) material ranges from GUID MAN OF BALLENGEICH (2001), made by schoolchildren in Stirlingshire, to COLD TAPE (2000), shown at Tate Britain. Interviews, stills, scripts, and other supporting documentation relating to the films are all kept.

There are just under 700 titles recorded to date. As well as basic content information, much of which has been taken from secondary sources (title, release date, synopsis, director, producer, production company, sponsor), full cast and credits are transcribed directly from viewing the source material. For the first time, the full scope, range and amount of Scottish publicly funded film in the last three decades has been brought together in one searchable set of data – with open public access worldwide.

Due to rights and conditions of deposit, viewings are only offered on National Library of Scotland premises. Requests for a loan, to screen, duplicate or otherwise distribute material in the collection should be directed to Creative Scotland. Permission for such uses will only be given in consultation with rights holders.

This is a work in progress - a constantly evolving collection. The growth of the collection reflects the creativity and talent of those working the screen industries in Scotland. The collection continues to flourish, with new work produced under Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland.

Missing, believed lost?
Gaps in the collection have been identified, and it would be invaluable to find this material and preserve it in the national collection. Representation of earlier work, such as First Reels, is patchy (eg. an interview with the director of a film exists on Betacam SP tape, but the 16mm completed film is nowhere to be seen!) Some films are incomplete or in poor condition and there may still be surviving material somewhere.

Researcher: Ann Cameron

Films associated with 'COCOZZA, Enrico'

Title Release date Film reference Sound Colour Date film record added Date video added Asc Desc
	FIRST REELS: Colin Young, Presenter and Some Scissor Stings [8541] Add to my films Colin Young records introductory and summing up sequences for three programmes broadcast on Scottish Television, as part of the First Reels showcase of new Scottish film-making talent. [Final section of tape features 'stings' with close ups of scissors snipping]		1993 sound col
	FIXING LUKA [21355] Add to my films In a ramshackle cottage beside a forest, Lucy and Luka live with their parents. Every day, Luka drives his sister mad as he happily performs obsessive, nonsensical routines with sugar cubes and thimbles. Watching his antics, Lucy thinks her brother is broken but when she’s given the chance to fix him, will she take it? [Source - DigiCult]		2010 sound col
	FLASHER [8125] Add to my films An idyllic day in the park. A man and a woman both caught out when nature calls.... Friendships can start out in the most unlikeliest of places!		1996 sound col
	FLIGHT OF THE SAND MARTIN, the [8219] Add to my films Short film project involving refugees and Scottish people, marking the journey a refugee has made to Scotland, paralleled with the journey of a bird, the sand martin, migrating from Scotland to Africa.	Onsite only	2008 sound bwcol
	FLIGHT: Searching For Scotland [5641] Add to my films A road movie about Scots in Canada. "Flight" traces the culture they perpetuate and through a series of portraits, follows how emigrants express their identity often generations after their families have moved there.	Onsite only	1997 sound col
	FLOATING CITIES [7911] Add to my films Looks at the origins of shipbuilding in Clydebank and the development of the yard which was to be responsible for the launch of some of the greatest ships in the world, including the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and the QE2. Also outlines the many processes involved in building a ship and all the stages of construction, with some archive footage. The development of the Clydebank yard is followed through to the present day with a look at the move to designing and manufacturing highly sophisticated oil and gas rigs by the current owners, UiE.		1993 sound col
	FLUNG [8010] Add to my films Flung explores the moment when the worlds of a tormented young boy and an alienated old man collide with unforeseen consequences for them both.	Onsite only	2007 sound bw
	FOG OF SREBRENICA, the [13891] Add to my films What happens to you when you live in a society riven by civil war, when you’re forced to entertain the inconceivable thought that your neighbours are out to kill you?		2015 sound col
	FOODS R US Extract [8226] Add to my films Animation made by Primary 7 pupils at Gowriehill school about good vs bad foods.		2002 sound col
	FOOL HOUSE [8181] Add to my films Any film that features Hank Williams on the soundtrack gets this writer's vote, especially when combined with such a superbly realised gunfight.		1999 sound col
	FOR THOSE IN PERIL [11154] Add to my films Aaron, a young misfit in a remote Scottish community, is the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident that claimed the lives of five men including his older brother. Spurred on by sea-going folklore and local superstition, the village blames him for this tragedy, making him an outcast amongst his own people. Steadfastly refusing to believe that his brother is dead, and possessed by grief, madness and magic, Aaron sets out to recover him...		2013 sound col
	FOUNTAIN, the [8123] Add to my films This video focuses on the story behind the Stewart Memorial Fountain in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park, and the memories, thoughts and opinions of those who know it.		1996 sound bwcol
	FOUR MEN AND A MALT [7563] Add to my films Four friends have a dream. They buy the decaying Bruichladdich distillery, re-open it, and within a year collect three major international whisky awards and rejuvenate a fragile rural community.		2003 sound col
	FOXY AND MARINA [21360] Add to my films A lyrical romance set in the not-so-romantic world of drug addiction. A young boy from Skye flirts with the idea of giving up heroin and returning home to the islands. But then he meets Marina. [Source - DigiCult]		2012 sound col
	FRANZ KAFKA'S IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE [7080] Add to my films Kafka is agonising over the first sentence of what was to be his masterpiece, Metamorphosis. ‘As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning he found himself transformed into a gigantic...?’ Kafka looks around his garret and spies the fruitbowl ‘...banana, perhaps?’ This is not the real world, but the world of the joke, the myth, the fairytale. Funny, but also strange and dark. Definitely a winning combination!	Onsite only	1993 sound col
	FREEDOM FIGHTERS [8183] Add to my films With specially commissioned music from Martyn Bennett, this Norman McLaren-type film is one of a series made by children in 1997 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.		1997 sound col
	FRIDGE [7058] Add to my films A young boys’ game in a backcourt in Glasgow goes wrong, resulting in one of them being trapped in a discarded fridge. In the hours that follow, the responsibility for this young life falls into the hands of Alice and Rudy who are themselves homeless, friendless, and on the verge of chronic alcoholism.	Onsite only	1995 sound bw
	FRIENDLY VOICES [7592] Add to my films "Friendly Voices" tells of a psychiatrist's home visit to a patient. It contrasts their different social situations with their all too familiar inner selves.	Onsite only	1997 sound col
	FROZEN [7085] Add to my films Set in the stark beauty of Morecambe Bay, north west England, Frozen is a story about unresolved loss and the inherent danger of hope turning into obsession.		2005 sound col
	FROZEN ASSETS: An Operatic Chiller [7669] Add to my films Inge´nue soprano Lucy Mackay outwits legendary tenor Benito Barolo, taking on the guise of opera heroines Carmen, Tosca and Brunhilde, to avoid becoming his next meal!	Onsite only	2003 sound col
	FULL CIRCLE [7997] Add to my films Twenty-five years ago Kela was abandoned by her mother in Bangladesh. Adopted and raised by a British family, Kela is returning for the first time to a country and culture she has never experienced.		2004 sound col
	FULL HOUSE [8166] Add to my films A fly-on-the-wall documentary, focusing on the role of bingo in the lives of a bunch of Stirling Bingo House regulars.		2000 sound col
	FUNNY HOW IT GOES [8191] Add to my films An evocative documentary, portraying aspects of Highland life through the eyes of the film maker's grandmother.		2001 sound bwcol
	FUTURE MY LOVE [13924] Add to my films Future My Love is a unique love story challenging our collective and personal utopias in search of freedom. At the brink of losing the idealistic love of her life, filmmaker Maja Borg takes us on a poetic road trip through the financial collapse, exploring a radically different economic and social model proposed by 95 year-old futurist Jacque Fresco		2012 sound bwcol
	GAIN [7826] Add to my films Music video produced for '4 Minute Wonders' scheme, featuring the track 'Gain' by Percy X. All is not what is seems when a blind man and his female companion go shopping and back to the flat.	Onsite only	2001 sound col
	GAMERZ [8138] Add to my films GamerZ is a quirky comedy set in the weird, wonderful and very geeky world of fantasy role playing games. It's a unique combination of Glaswegian grit and full-on fantasy and is not to be missed.		2005 sound col
	GAS ATTACK [7879] Add to my films A girl falls ill in Glasgow in an area inhabited predominantly by refugees and an asylum support officer begins to suspect that a right-wing terrorist might be targeting the area with biological weapons.		2001 sound col
	GASMAN [7083] Add to my films A story of two children who react with naive simple emotion to a situation imposed on them by their father's secret.		1997 sound col
	GASPING [13921] Add to my films Frankie Boyle is Harvey Higgins in a comedy about how conquering your demons might not always produce the desired results. Harvey is given an ultimatum by his wife - refrain from drinking alcohol on a business trip or return to an empty house. Will Harvey be able to save his marriage?		2014 sound col
	GEORGE'S WEANS [3466] Add to my films George's Weans : Animated film on Winchburgh's past and the shale oil industry, made by pupils of Winchburgh and Holy Family Primary Schools.	Onsite only	1996 sound col
	GERRY O'DONNELL - GORDON'S GIN ADS [21377] Add to my films Three clever, evocative, alternative advertisements for Gordon's Gin & Tonic.		2010 sound col
	GET BIZZY [7500] Add to my films Three washed up 'has been' animation stars try and fail to come to terms with their former flat mate Bizzy's spiralling success, but will they have the last laugh?	Onsite only	2005 sound col
	GET REAL! [8408] Add to my films A community chat show presented by Noreen Real from her 17th floor Glasgow flat.		2008 sound col
	GIFT, the [7501] Add to my films A young girl rescues a seal and meets a sea prince in his underwater palace. As she leaves, he gives her a beautiful and mysterious shell.	Onsite only	2005 sound col
	GIGHA: Buying Our Island [7556] Add to my films Gigha - Buying Our Island follows a year in the lives of the residents as they experience the highs, lows and responsibilities of owning their own island home. This community buyout provides a microcosm within the greater land reform debate.	Onsite only	2003 sound col
	GIRL IN THE LAY-BY, the [7891] Add to my films Coll is stuck serving hotdogs from a van to passing travellers - until she meets a mysterious old man who emerges every day from the forest opposite the van.		2000 sound col
	GLASGOW MY CITY [8225] Add to my films An animated film made by pupils of St Joan of Arc Secondary School to express their likes and dislikes about the city of Glasgow.		2002 sound col
	GLASGOW TAN, the [7895] Add to my films Glasgow has streets full of tanning salons which service the Glaswegian desire for glamour. We take a look at the peely-wally Scots obsession with having sun kissed brown, or orange, skin.		2002 sound col
	GOLD FEVER [7560] Add to my films There's gold in Scotland's hills and rivers. Presenter Sandy Wright and popsters Aberfeldy set out on a musical journey to catch gold fever!		2005 sound col
	GOLDFISH [8162] Add to my films A sensitive observation of how one family adapts to cope with the problems of dementia and come to terms with the illness. [Synopsis taken from VHS sleeve notes]		2000 sound col
	GOOD DAY FOR THE BAD GUYS [7557] Add to my films A black comedy set onstage and off, of a traditional Scottish pantomine. One actor’s progressive nervous breakdown brings Good and Evil into open conflict.		1995 sound col
	GRANDAD'S BIG SECRET [7496] Add to my films It's a normal day at Gran's house but when granddaughter Jasmine discovers a caveman in the cellar, chaos ensues!	Onsite only	2003 sound col
	GREAT BREAKFAST RACE, the [7497] Add to my films A boy finds a unique way of escaping the monotony of everyday life.	Onsite only	2003 sound col
	GREAT ESCAPE, the [7564] Add to my films The Great Escape goes beneath the surface of Sunday League football, following the fortunes of one of Scotland's toughest teams, Mediaspec AFC. Drama and passion both on and off the pitch.		2005 sound col
	GUARDIAN ANGEL [7893] Add to my films A young mother’s trust in mankind is challenged when she decides to help a stranger while on a journey through the barren landscape of her conflicting emotions and perceptions.		2000 sound col
	GUIDMAN OF BALLENGEICH, the [8170] Add to my films Historical (!) drama by children at Raploch & St. Mary's Primary Schools, Stirling, led by animation in schools pioneer Jessica Langford, using stop frame and cut-out techniques. [Note this tape version includes a documentary covering the making and screening of the film.]		2000 sound col
	HALF WAY HOME [8271] Add to my films Melanie, 34, knows she will die within 10 years due to autoimmune disease. Having survived a near fatal operation, Melanie escaped the stresses of city life to search for her ideal home for the time she has left - but it's not as easy as that.	Onsite only	2008 sound col
	HARMONY: No Strings Attached [7929] Add to my films A day in the life of a homeless man and his guitar on the streets of Edinburgh - told through music and the sounds of the streets. Challenges society's perceptions of such people and what they have to offer to the community.		1997 sound col
	HARRACHOV [7907] Add to my films Piece by piece, a menacing machine-system is constructed. Combining live action, stop-frame animation and a kinetic sculpture, Harrachov explores the effect of an arcane force that, like a black hole, exerts an irresistible power upon certain objects and materials.		2006 sound col
	HARRY'S IDEAL HOME [7923] Add to my films Craig Ferguson stars as a man happy with his lot in life, bumbling about his daily business and settling in to his 'ideal home' at the end of the day. [A trainee film produced by young people during their year on the Scottish Film Training Trust Programme]		1987 sound col