A SCOTTISH family has flown to Hollywood for the premier of a film documenting the first crowning of a clan chief in more than 300 years.
A feature-length documentary called Meet the Buchanans has premiered at the Los Angeles’ Lumiere Cinema as part of the Tartan Film Festival.
The film was originally commissioned by BBC Scotland and followed the inauguration of the clan’s newest chief after decades of genealogical research to identify the next heir lead to the first Buchanan clan chief in some 340 years.
The fly-on-the-wall documentary, which is backed by Screen Scotland, follows the family in the run-up to the chief’s crowning ceremony and features clan members from across the world who travelled to Scotland to join in on the festivities last year.
To celebrate the premiere, clan Buchanan’s chief, John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, made the journey from Perthshire alongside his wife, Paula Buchanan, and three of their four children.
John said the film's premiere in Hollywood is a great opportunity to promote Scotland to a global audience and noted how Americans have an affinity with Scottish heritage which added to the occasion.
He said: “Meet the Buchanans not only showcases the rich heritage of our clan, it also serves as a bridge connecting our storied past to the vibrant present.
“Premiering as part of the Tartan Film Festival has given us an incredible opportunity to promote Scotland to a global audience and share our traditions, landscapes and spirit with the world.
“America has a unique affinity with the quirks, nuances and heritage of Scottish culture and it’s an honour to be premiering Meet the Buchanans in the home of show business in celebration of that relationship.”
Organised by the St Andrew’s Society of Los Angeles the Tartan Film Festival aims to celebrate the best in Scottish cinema while promoting the heritage and culture of the country across America.
Meet The Buchanans is set to also be screened at the upcoming Pleasanton Highland Games in California and has been announced as the lead title in Macrobert’s Central Scotland Documentary Festival taking place in Stirling, later this year.
