A series of short animated films produced by residents of Lochcarron in Wester Ross is to be screened in the local village hall on Wednesday 8 August, as part of the Highland 2007 Year of Culture celebrations.

Inverness-based Highland Print Studio (HPS) set up the project to engage with local groups from the Lochcarron community as part of an outreach arts project.

Film animators Rachel Everitt and Mary Ferguson, were brought in by HPS to work closely with local arts, writing and music groups. Day-users of Lochcarron's residential home, the Howard Doris Centre, also took part in the project.

Christine Houser, activities organiser for the centre, said: "It was a great experience for everyone involved, staff and residents alike. The film artists were an absolute joy to work with, and everyone is so grateful for the project.

"Two of our lunch club visitors, Chris Deakin and Bill Allen, were fascinated by the length of time it took to put together a small clip of film. It was heads down as soon as they arrived and their resulting film, 'The Circus' is a delightful animation."

Rachel Everitt was impressed by the quality of the films produced: "Animation offers an opportunity to present the power of the imagination, in a strong and accessible art form. I was amazed by the absolute focus of the participant groups, whose inventive contributions have together created a lasting legacy for their community."

"Lochcarron has had limited access to arts provision, but the four month project has brought the community together in many ways," added Alison McMenemy, studio manager of Highland Print Studio.

"We are committed to opening up access to high quality arts across the Highland region and are delighted that the Lochcarron project has been such a success.  Right from the start, participants have been incredibly enthusiastic about the animation project and they seized the opportunity to learn new skills."

The project has been funded by the Scottish Arts Council, Highland 2007 and HIE Skye and Wester Ross.

Lyndsay Campbell, development manager at the local enterprise company,
commented: "The print studio has worked hard to get this project off the ground. It's always a challenge to make projects available to communities across the Highlands and Islands, and this is a good example of how it can and should be done."

The full list of short films being screened in Lochcarron is:

Clowning Around by Bill Allen and Chris Deakin
Flight of the Eagle by Mairi Young
Compilation by the Open Group
Wellington's Nose by Sigga Petursdottir
Kirkton Woods by Mary Henery and Sheila Cudby
Compilation by the Howard Doris Centre
The Giant of Lochcarron by Vicky Stonebridge
3 Little Fishes by Esme Quinn and others from the Howard Doris Centre

Ends
For further information contact:
Alison McMenemy
Highland Print Studio
Tel: 01463 718999
alison@highlandprintstudio.co.uk

or

Carole Inglis
HIE Communications
Tel: 01463 244552
carole.inglis@hient.co.uk

Note to newsdesks:
The Highlands and Islands Enterprise network (HIE) is responsible for economic and community development in an area which covers more than half of Scotland, from Shetland to Argyll. HIE's headquarters are in Inverness and most of its services are delivered through local enterprise companies. The Network employs around 550 people and last year invested more than £100 million to help people living in the Highlands and Islands realise their full potential. For further information on HIE, log on to www.hie.co.uk