Mar a chanas an seanfhacal, " 'S iomadh rud a thig air laogh air nach do shaoil a mhàthair." Agus 's iomadh rud a tha tachair ann an Ceap Breatainn a thaobh na Gàidhlig na laithean air nach smaoineachadh daoine bho chionn fichead bliadhna.
Ann an 2008 rinn Marc Almon agus Nona Nic Dhiarmaid fiolm Gàidhlig goirid air ainm " Faire Chaluim Mhic Leòid " ann an Ceap Breatainn, agus bu ro shealbhach e. Chaidh ainmeachadh mar Fhiolm Ghnìomhaidh Ghoirid a's fheàrr do dhuais "Genie". ( duais Cainiédianach co-ionnanach ris an "Oscar" anns na Stàitean ) 'S e buaidh uamhasach mór a tha seo 'nuair a smaoineachar nach do thuig duine anns an comataidh ainmeachaidh facal Gàidhlig! Bhuannaich e duaisean eile, agus chaidh a shealltainn ann an iomadh àite eadar-naiseanta, agus gu tric air na stéiseanan telebhisein Bravo agus CBC.
A nise, tha Marc an déidh fiolm eile a loisgeadh a' seo, " Ruidhle an Fhìdhleir". Mairidh e na 's fhaide na cheud fhiolm, eadar còig mionaidean deug agus fichead mionaid, agus mar a' cheud fhiolm bidh e uile gu léir 'sa Ghàidhlig. Tha na cleasaichean uile fileanta, agus tha gach uile suidheachach ann an Ceap Breatainn fhéin, eadar an Eas Uisge Bàn ( ann an tuil! ) , a' Chlachan Ghàidhealach, agus àiteachan eile. Mar a thuirt duine air an t-suidheachadh faisg air Uisge Bàn, " Dh' fhaodadh gun do rinn iad roinn de " Rìgh nam Fàinneachan " a' seo! ".
Bha mi aig làrach an fhiolm fad trì latha agus dhe na chunna mi, chanainn gum bi fiaraidhean chamara innleachdach ann, suidheachaidhean suimeil, cleasan ro mhath aig na cleasaichean agus co-labhairt tarruingeach nàdurra aca.
Bidh sgeul an fhiolm seo a' gluasad gu luath, agus tha na caractaran air an dealbhadh gu làidir ùigheil le tograidhean tuigseach nàdurra. Mach á sin, cha chan mi an còrr!!
Bidh Shannon Nic Dhòmhnaill ( ás a' Chladach a Tuath, Ceap Breatainn ) ann mar Chatrìona Nic Dhùghaill, nighean òg a thuiteas ann an gaol leis an fhìdlear, air a chluich le Pàdruig Bennett ( á Havre Boucher, Alba Nuadh ). Bidh Tad Hargrave ( á Edmonton, Alberta ) ann mar fhear a bhios tighinn beò air toradh na poite duibh' aige, agus e airson Catrìona a phòsadh.
Théid am fiolm seo air a chuir amach a 's t-Earrach 'sa bhliadhna 'sa tighinn ( 2011 ) agus a réir na chunna mi, mholainn dhuibh fhaicinn! Bidh fo-thiotalan Bheurla ann do dhaoine aig na eil Gàidhlig, agus fo-thiotalan Ghàidhlig do 'n luchd ionnsachaidh.
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As the Gaelic proverb says, " Many thing will happen to a calf that his mother didn't think of." And many things are happening in Cape Breton now with Gaelic that no one would have thought of twenty years ago.
In 2008 Marc Almon and Nona MacDermid made a short Gaelic film, " The Wake of Calum MacLeod " and it was very successful. It was nominated for a Genie award (the Canadian equivalent of the American Oscar ) as Best Live Action Short . It's an exceptional accomplishment considering that nobody on the nominating committee understood a word of Gaelic! It won some other prizes and was shown in many venues internationally, and often on the tv stations Bravo and the CBC.
Now Marc Almon has shot another film here, "The Fiddler's Reel " . It will be longer than his first film, between fifteen and twenty minutes, and like the first film it will be entirely in Gaelic. The actors are all fluent speakers and every scene is in Cape Breton: Uisge Ban Falls, The Highland Village, among other places. As someone said about the setting at Uisge Ban, "They could have shot some of The Lord of the Rings here!" .
I was on the set for three days and I would say that there are some inventive camera angles, interesting situations, excellent acting from the actors and poignant natural dialogue.
The story of this film moves quickly and the characters are well drawn, interesting and believable. More than that I won't say!!
Shannon MacDonald (from the North Shore, Cape Breton ) portrays Catrìona MacDughall, a young woman who falls in love with the fiddler, played by Patrick Bennett ( from Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia ). Tad Hargrave (from Edmonton, Alberta ) plays a man who makes his living from the produce of his still, who wants to marry Catrìona.
This film will be released in the spring of next year and from what I've seen of it, I'd suggest you see it! It will include subtitles in English for non Gaelic speakers and Gaelic subtitles for Gaelic learners.