Outdoor screenings of Local Hero planned in Banff and Portsoy to mark 40th anniversary of iconic movie

It’s been 40 years since a red phone box in the north east of Scotland was made famous by the movie Local Hero.

Film lovers across the world have made pilgrimages to the small village of Pennan in Aberdeenshire to have their picture taken with the iconic landmark.

Local Hero is about an American oil company that sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don’t quite go as expected

The cast and crew from the classic movie are now set to return to the area where it was shot to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film’s release.

A meet and greet with Scottish actors involved in the film has been organised by Cinescapes, which specialises in showing films in the areas that inspired them.

Peter Riegert, the American actor who played Mac MacIntyre, will also address an event at Banff Springs Hotel on May 26 – live via video link from his home in Hudson Valley.

Riegert said: “It is amazing to see something I worked on 40 years ago still survives and has such a place in people’s hearts.

“It is a very interesting thing to play a character who becomes entranced by another place. It’s a classic story – a wanderer who comes across someone or somewhere and is transformed.”

Outdoor screenings of Local Hero will be shown at Banff Castle on May 26 and 27 and at Portsoy Sail Loft on May 28.

The Local Hero Weekender will also include a programme of documentaries and family friendly films, alongside Scottish classics such as Gregory’s Girl and the original and remade versions of Whisky Galore.

Actors Jimmy Yuill, Jonathan Watson and Tam Dean Burn will attend the Q&A and the screenings in person – and will also meet S1-S3 pupils from Banff Academy to discuss the film and the opportunities offered by the film industry in Scotland.

Amanda Rogers, founder of Cinescapes, said: “Local Hero is such an important film and is so loved.

“Since announcing this project, I have been overwhelmed by the reaction in Scotland, the UK and all over the world. Bringing members of the cast and crew back to the north east coast is so exciting and we are delighted to be bringing Peter Riegert into the mix.”

Villagers in Pennan, which was the setting for the fictional village of Ferness, will be holding regular screenings of the film, as well as ‘Local Hero’ themed ceilidhs at their village hall.

Fiona McRae, a photographer who lives in Pennan and who is a member of the village hall committee said: “We have people coming to visit all year round and they all talk about Local Hero. It shows the appeal of the film and the impact it has had all these years.

“It’s absolutely wonderful that some of the people involved in the film will be coming back to visit.”

Pupils at Fraserburgh Academy, which is just five miles from Pennan, will be involved in creating materials to commemorate the anniversary, which can be shared with Local Hero fans around the world.

The project is supported by Aberdeenshire Council’s Coastal Community Fund via the Banff and Buchan Area Committee.

The film, which was originally released on April 29, 1983, is being re-released in UK cinemas on May 19 by distributors Park Circus.