Filmmakers campaigning to get a sequel to an award-winning north-east short off the ground have vowed to soldier on after narrowly missing out on their funding goal.
The team behind Whistle My Lad managed to secure an impressive £15,533 in just 30 days to make the follow-up a reality, including £5,500 from Aberdeenshire Council.
But that was short of the £20,000 budget they were seeking for the film, set in Crovie.
The group launched a Kickstarter campaign to secure the funds, which allows creative projects to get off the ground using public donations. If a target is not achieved, all money is given back to the donors.
Last night producer Brodie Marno vowed they would start their efforts from scratch next year in the hopes of getting production underway in June.
Banchory man Mr Marno said: “Now it’s over we are going to look at this campaign and see where or what we can do differently next year when we try again.
“The Whistle My Lad team are so thankful to everyone who, in 30 days, pledged £15,533.
“Funding is getting harder these days and I must say thank you to Aberdeenshire Council for their contribution of £5,500.
“Currently we are thinking spring 2017 for the relaunch on Kickstarter. We hope to start principal photography in June 2017 but it will only happen if we get the funding next time.”
Whistle My Lad was nominated for a Scottish Bafta and screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.
The 20-minute long sequel will be a continuation of the story of fisherman’s daughter Agnes and her life in Crovie in the 1910s.
It is hoped the second film would pave the way for a multimillion-pound feature-length version in 2020.
