Ten Thousand Grains of Sand - a Bill Forsyth Project
Ten Thousand Grains of Sand is a project dedicated to the work of Scottish filmmaker Bill Forsyth. The project looks in-depth at all eight of his feature films, and his legacy as a filmmaker, through a series of podcasts and an illustrated book.
I have been fascinated by the work of Bill Forsyth since I first saw a VHS copy of Gregory’s Girl on the big telly at school, you know, the one on wheels that the whole school shared, a mainstay of any school during the 1980s.
In a career spanning over 40 years, Forsyth has made eight feature films. He is perhaps best known for Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero, but has produced a fascinating set of films beyond those much-loved titles. A unique voice in British cinema, his work has often fallen under the radar. This project, an illustrated collection of my reflections on the films and the accompanying podcasts, is my love letter to the unique work of Bill Forsyth. It aims to highlight his contribution to film as a director and screenwriter, celebrate his work and its impact on audiences, and hopefully encourage viewers to seek out his work.
Why Ten Thousand Grains of Sand?
MacIntyre : [desperate to make the deal] Look, how much do you want?
Ben Knox : [fills his hands with sand] Would you pay me a pound for every grain of sand in my hand?
[drops some sand]
Ben Knox : Ah, well, that saves you some. Well, would you do it?
MacIntyre : No. Of course not.
Ben Knox : Ah, well that's a pity. You missed out on a good bargain, for I can only hold about ten thousand grains of sand in my hands. Did you think it would be more?
Local Hero (1983)
The Podcast
On each episode of the podcast, arts and culture writer Anna Cale is joined by a different guest, guiding listeners through Forsyth’s work film by film. From his first feature That Sinking Feeling in 1979, to Gregory’s Two Girls released twenty years later, the podcast will track the ups and downs of his career and celebrate his unique style as a filmmaker.
The Book
The idea was to produce an illustrated book celebrating the work of Forsyth through a series of essays, each focussing on a particular film and its impact, but also threaded through with the themes of his work as a whole. Anna Cale has loved his work for many years, and the words reflect that connection.
Forsyth’s charming, quirky cinematic style lends itself perfectly to an illustrated journey through his work. Through a close collaboration with Anna, illustrator Eli Allison has taken the visual themes and cues of each film and turned them into a unique, imaginative interpretation, presented film by film but highlighting the magical feeling of whimsy which makes Forsyth’s films so popular.
Copies of the book are available on request.