Forty years of Local Hero to be celebrated with special events in north-east locations

Forty years of the Scottish comedy classic Local Hero are to be celebrated in locations which had a starring role in the movie.

Director Bill Forsyth and his crew deployed Pennan and Banff for key scenes in the fictional village of Ferness.

Now they are to play host host to screenings and other special film events in recognition of the impact of the production, which brought Hollywood icon Burt Lancaster to Scotland.

He played an oil tycoon trying to acquire a coastal village for a refiner project, only to find his plans stalled after the local residents prove harder to deal with than expected.

Forty years of Local Hero will be celebrated in Pennan in Aberdeenshire this year. Picture: Ewen Weatherspoon

The film was famously shot on both the east and west coasts of Scotland, with Forsyth also using locations in Arisaig, Camusdarach, Fort William, Moidart and Lochailort.

Three days of special events in the north-east will get underway in Pennan on 25 May in the village hall, while others will be held at Banff Castle, the Banff Springs Hotel and Portsoy.

The celebration programme, which will feature behind-the-scenes insights from writer Jonathan Melville, author of a new book on the making of Local Hero, is being planned by the touring film company Cinescapes, which specialises in pop-up events.

Founder Amanda Rogers said: “Ever since I began this project, I have dreamed of staging a screening of Local Hero. It is an utterly charming film which has stood the test of time.”

Melville said: “It’s a very important film – because it was a Scottish writer and director showing you could make a film for a global audience.”