Hawick film wins award at Accolade Global Film Competition

Ken Moffat's film, The Highway to Hermitage, received a merited award in 'Special Purpose Production' at the Accolade Global Film Competition.

The America-based competition receives entries from around the world, and is ranked as one of the top 25 film festivals around the world by Movie Maker Magazine.

Ken said: "The movie is a drone flight following the prehistoric path, The Queens Mire, from Jedburgh to Hermitage Castle through the Teviothead Volcanic Complex – the Lands of the Border Reivers – where in 1566 Mary Queen of Scots rode in a dramatic journey to visit her injured lover, James Hepburn, The Earl Of Bothwell."

Ken filmed The Highway to Hermitage using his drone, and he spent the past year editing his footage alongside compositions provided by piper and fiddler Kathryn Tickell.

At just eight minutes long, Ken's film captures a great deal of the Borders volcanic landscape, and aims to highlight the importance of our cultural heritage.

He added: "Much of the Volcanic landscape shot in the movie has never been filmed before, and includes Dark Sky time lapses, featuring star wheels and the passage of Moon.

"The eight-minute movie is intended to raise the profile of the importance of the cultural heritage and history of this forgotten and endangered landscape, and to demonstrate the need for protected status, also to raise the question of its ongoing neglect by government, and the lack of endorsement of the national park proposal.

"Today the Queens Mire is impassable in parts, and no longer considered a right of way.

"Mary Queen of Scots is an international female icon, and this route could be preserved and developed as an incredible asset for the Borders."

Following his success at the Accolade awards, Ken has now submitted The Highway to Hermitage to the Cannes Short Film Festival for its European premier, and to Hawick's very own Alchemy Film Festival for a British premier – both submissions are still being considered.