Iorram (Boat Song)

We’re delighted to bring Iorram (Boat Song) to you on Screen Machine – the first cinema documentary filmed entirely in Scottish Gaelic.

Iorram (Boat Song) is a lyrical portrait of life in the fishing communities on the Western Isles. By blending modern footage of newly restored archive sound recordings, it takes you on an immersive journey into the heart of a thousand-year-old community. Understand the hardship and romance of life in precarious balance with the sea, and hear the oral history of lore and legends, tall tales and tragedies, passed down through generations of Gaelic speakers reaching back hundreds of years.

Featuring an original score by acclaimed folk musician Aidan O’Rourke, and stunning images of life on the islands today, on both land and the sea, Iorram (Boat Song) presents the tough realities of fishing and gutting in all weathers and seasons, whilst coexisting alongside superstitions and visions of mermaids, faerie folk, and mysterious vanishing islands.

Iorram (Boat Song) was filmed in several locations that Screen Machine visits, including Barra, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist and Harris.

Iorram (Boat Song) is in Gaelic with English subtitles.

“It’s less a documentary, more like unearthed treasure.” Radio Times

“An expressive doc blending oral history, folk song and seascape to celebrate a vibrant but endangered culture.” The Skinny

PG: references to maritime deaths

We look forward to welcoming audiences back to the Screen Machine. You can read about all of the safety measures we have put in place in more detail by following this link:

http://www.screenmachine.co.uk/covid-19/