BBC ALBA is to broadcast a new film about the shellfish business from local media unit TrixPix
Abigail Taylor
Maorach, a new film from Beatrix Wood, is set to premiere on BBC ALBA on 29th December 2021 at 9pm.
Her latest programme follows the journey of a freshly caught lobster, as it makes its way from the islands to the market in Spain.
Viewers will see local fishermen pull creels onboard, packed and sorted, taken to MacNeil Shellfish in Glasgow to be checked before being repacked and transported onwards, across the Channel into France and further onto Spain, the biggest export market for live shellfish from Scotland.
“Maorach follows the challenges faced by local fishermen, first of all coronavirus, with closed restaurants and lower demand, then, as 2020 came to an end, Brexit became a major problem and threat to anyone working across the production line,” explained Beatrix.
“It’s the human interest side of that story. It’s not the politics, it’s not the details, it’s the actual people who work with great passion and dedication and what the challenges are, what they’ve faced and how they have kept overcoming them.”
Besides a cast of fishermen, in Maorach viewers will meet a number of chefs, some based in Scotland and elsewhere in Europe. Questions are asked, such as what happens with the shellfish to get it onto a plate, how do people cook it, why is it at such a high demand abroad, and why is it not so loved in the UK. Gary MacLean, one of the chefs featured, who is based in Edinburgh, has opened a restaurant called Creel Caught and he talks about how he sees a rising demand for shellfish in Scotland.
Like all other industries, the coronavirus pandemic impacted on media production and held back on the development of Maorach.
“We started the shooting process in the summer last year, but nothing could really happen. So we waited until things had eased a little in the later months of the year, when we felt a bit more comfortable out shooting, and worked right through until January. We then got put back into another lockdown, so that stalled us again,” explained Beatrix.
“It has been like that the full way through, stop, start and never knowing what was going to happen. But it also meant we had extremely rigorous safety protocols for filming to ensure myself and everyone who was working with me was safe. Luckily we did not have any problems.”
In order to work around travel restrictions, a different approach to filming was required, with GoPro cameras were used to record some contributors o took part in Maorach.
“It really became a part of the style of the film and people were tremendous about doing it,” reflected Beatrix.
“We faced a big question over whether we would we get any scenes shot in Spain. Spain was designated an amber list country in the summer, so it was then a quick turn around and to film a set of sequences before any of the restrictions changed. It was such a relief to get everything done out there and get back with no issues.”
Beatrix has previously made films centred around crofting and agriculture for BBC ALBA. Maorach is the first programme to feature stories of people who work on the sea around the Outer Hebrides.
“It was a natural follow on for me, speaking to people and learning more about what they do. I was particularly interested in the fact that almost all of the shellfish gets transported to Spain. It was a very interesting story, with the themes around food and working with chefs, it was great to see the whole process from sea to plate,” added Beatrix.
Local fisherman DJ MacDonald from Island Flodda (pictured), who fishes for velvet crab in the winter and lobster in summer, features in the film alongside DA Nicholson in Lochmaddy, who fishes for langoustines, Angus Campbell and Niall Donan MacMillan at Kilbride Shellfish, who have the packing shed and collect from a lot of fishermen across the islands, and Murphy James MacEachen of MacNeil Shellfish, who drives the lorry from Kilbride Shellfish.
Maorach features original music composed by Padruig Morrison from Grimsay, who also created the music on some of the other recent films by Beatrix and her team.
Several local people have contributed to the production of Maorach, which features original music composed by Padruig Morrison from Grimsay. South Uist photographer Carla Regler captured drone footage, Chrissie Laing, Padruig Morrison, and Chloe Steel helped with the Gaelic translation and the narrator is Morag Stewart, who originally from Grimsay.
Creative Scotland partly funded the film, through its Broadcast Content Fund, in partnership with MG ALBA.
“I would like this film to be for people who want something of an evening, something fresh with depth and variety but which is ultimately uplifting. With regards to every single person in the film, they are dedicated and passionate and just push on through whatever is thrown at them. I find that really inspiring. I wanted it to be a film that is about encouraging people to not get disheartened about things when they get hard and to persevere.”
Margaret Mary Murray, Head of Service for BBC ALBA, said: “BBC ALBA is delighted to be screening another very special TrixPix documentary in our festive schedule. The film both observes and connects with those whose livelihoods depend on harvesting, delivering and preparing the fruits of the sea. We see the incredible hard work, the skill, knowledge, passion and delight taken by those involved in each step from the sea to the dinner salver. Beatrix has been patient, flexible and creative in the face of innumerable and unprecedented challenges during the production and has created a film in which she and all those who contributed to it should be justifiably proud.”
