Sailm Nan Daoine (Psalms Of The People) film preview: A pan-Gaelic odyssey
Psalm singing is put in the spotlight in this tender documentary
This year’s Glasgow Film Festival features Sailm Nan Daoine, a documentary that captures a creative conversation between filmmaker Jack Archer and Rob MacNeacail. Archer follows the Carlops creative on a pan-Gaelic journey, awakening communities to liturgical Gaelic singing and engaging with practitioners in the Hebrides.
For Archer, MacNeacail’s accessible approach to psalm singing has been a fresh means ‘for more people to get involved in passing on this tradition’. But with Gaeldom’s ongoing minoritisation, ‘singing the psalms shouldn’t be taken for granted’, he says. The film showcases MacNeacail bringing new radicalism to the artform, following in the footsteps of Hebridean composer Calum Martin. Also featured, Martin has piqued unlikely audiences too. ‘Radiohead recently played one of his recordings to 20,000 people at the O2 Arena,’ notes Archer.
Tender scenes capture MacNeacail with his Borders-based group, spreading Gaelic to new communities and opening eyes to contemporary issues. ‘There’s also a lot of discussion on issues such as the housing crisis, survival of the language and impact of over-tourism,’ says Archer.
The film sets its music within a wider, cross-cultural symphony, taking MacNeacail across the water to Lewis and Ireland. ‘Rob has an incredible voice which people are really mesmerised by. To be able to film a congregation in Back [on the Isle Of Lewis] singing the psalms was a huge privilege.’ The director hopes for a good run in Scottish and Irish cinemas this year as well as festival screenings. ‘It would be particularly nice to bring the film to the communities we filmed in,’ admits Archer.
Sailm Nan Daoine (Psalms Of The People), GFT, Glasgow, Sunday 1 & Monday 2 March.