Local Hero

Bill Forsyth’s film remains a dazzling, funny and unforgettable cinematic gem, marking a high point for both Scottish and British cinema of the 1980s.

  • Director

    Bill Forsyth

  • With

    Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, Denis Lawson

  • UK 1983. 111min

  • 35mm

  • Certificate

    12A

Houston oil man Mac MacIntyre is dispatched to Scotland by his boss Felix Happer (a wonderful, stargazing Lancaster) to acquire Ferness, a quaint coastal village, with the ambition of paying off the inhabitants and building an oil refinery. But no sooner has he arrived, he not only finds himself thwarted by the village’s wily inhabitants, but also by the captivating beauty and calm of Ferness itself. Suddenly, the art of the deal seems far less important than the sea, stars and sunsets. Warm, witty and quietly profound, Forsyth’s film stands as a milestone in Scottish cinema. It proved that homegrown films could achieve global acclaim and inspired a new wave of filmmakers. Presented here in a stunning new 35mm print made by the BFI, it remains irresistible.

Douglas Weir