Montrose set for fourth annual film festival

Taking place at the community-owned Montrose Playhouse from September 11-13, the festival will bring together 22 films and a packed programme of live Q&As, musical performances, workshops, community activities and conversations exploring the future of land, sea and the living world.

The festival opens with the Scottish premiere of Derek vs Derek, a warm and humorous documentary about two neighbouring Devon farmers-both called Derek-who find themselves on opposing sides of a debate about farming, nature and the future of the British countryside.

One of the film’s central characters is prominent rewilding advocate Derek Gow, who grew up in Dundee.

Director James Dawson will be in Montrose for a post-screening Q&A. Derek Gow is also available for advance interviews about the film, his Dundee roots and the increasingly urgent debate around farming and rewilding.

The 2026 programme also connects with the 300th anniversary of the birth of James Hutton, the Edinburgh-born thinker widely regarded as one of the founders of modern geology.

The event will also mark a significant milestone for LandxSea; the accompanying short film, Iso Attrill’s Paradise, will be the 100th film presented by the festival since it began in 2023.

Among those making the ‘migration’ to Montrose is Australian-born, Arctic-based filmmaker Adam Sébire, who is travelling by train and overland from his home in the far north of Norway to attend the UK premiere of his Greenland-set short film ‘Sikoqqinngisaannassooq’.

Festival director Rachel Caplan said: “The films may come from every corner of the world, but the questions they raise have deep connections to life in Montrose, our coast, our relationship with the land and sea, and what we choose to protect for the future. It means a great deal that guests are travelling from across Scotland and around the world. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Montrose.”

Tickets, the schedule and full list of guests are available at www.landxsea.org/festival.