Why premiering Scottish films in Hollywood is not 'selling coals to Newcastle'

Scotland should try to have the same kind of confidence that made Hollywood into the world's film capital (Picture: David Swanson) | AFP via Getty Images

“America has a unique affinity with the quirks, nuances and heritage of Scottish culture.” So says John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, chief of Clan Buchanan.

And he should know, after travelling to Los Angeles for the world premiere of the feature-length documentary, Meet the Buchanans, screened during the Tartan Film Festival and featuring the first crowning of a Buchanan chief in more than 300 years.

Selling Scottish films in Hollywood might strike some as a modern equivalent of “selling coals to Newcastle”, as the saying goes. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated by its success or succumb to the idea that Americans would never be interested in our stories. The ‘Scottish cultural cringe’ has held us back for far too long.

American confidence and self-belief are qualities that have helped build the world’s biggest economy and a globally dominant film industry. That’s a ‘quirk’ of their culture we should definitely learn from.