Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for Culture, will officially open Queen Margaret University’s annual Film & Media Degree Show at Edinburgh’s Flimhouse on Lothian Road on Thursday 9th July from 8.30pm.

The event will present work from QMU’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th year film and media students, including a wonderfully varied selection of short promotional films, dramas and documentaries.

The 10 shorts made by QMU’s Film & Media students are this year’s cream of the crop, covering a diverse range of subjects and genres. The documentaries profile an award winning artist, take you on a musical journey to the streets of Morocco and show you how to build an Earthship. The dramas feature characters dealing with the effects of grief, poverty, illness and… junk mail.

Graham Drysdale, Lecturer in Screenwriting & Digital Filmmaking at QMU, said: “This year, Edinburgh’s popular Filmhouse is once again hosting our Film & Media Degree Show, providing an ideal venue to see the students’ work at its best. Cinema-goers can look forward to viewing a diverse range of films, covering all sorts of genres and styles. Perhaps immodestly, we think it’s one of our strongest ever screenings – we hope you’ll agree.”

“This event is always a highlight in the QMU calendar as it provides a platform for us to celebrate creativity, as well as allowing students to unveil films they have worked on over the last year. It’s important to our students to see their work on the big screen. There’s nothing like hearing and seeing an audience respond to your film in the way you hoped when you first conceived of the idea.”

Commenting on QMU’s film showcase event, Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said: “It will be a great honour to open this year’s annual Film and Media degree show at QMU and to see the results of the students’ hard work and creative endeavours.

“The Scottish Government is firmly committed to supporting our screen sector to flourish – from investing in production and skills development to ensuring there is adequate infrastructure in place and increasing access to film for our communities.

“The standard of work at this show promises as always to be very high, and I look forward to meeting some of Scotland’s future filmmaking talent.”

Then audience will get the chance to cast their votes for best film and the winner will be announced by the QMU’s Principal, Professor Petra Wend, at the post-screening reception.

Tickets can be purchased from Edinburgh’s Filmhouse by calling 0131 228 2688 or online at www.filmhousecinema.com