The Hermit of Treig (2022)
Feature length theatrical, 80 mins
BBC Scotland TV cutdown, 60 mins
A meticulous diarist and avid photographer, Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands, living alone in a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as 'the lonely loch'. He has no electricity or running water. He lives off the land, fishing for his supper, chopping wood, and even brewing his own tipple. Filmed over 10 years, director Lizzie Mackenzie poetically captures Ken's profound, spiritual relationship with the wilderness: "If you love the land, it loves you back". Now in his 70s, Ken reflects upon the reasons he turned his back on society, the vulnerability of old age and the awe and wonder of a life lived in nature in this humorous, transcendent and life affirming feature documentary.
Awards :Scottish BAFTA winner Single Documentary. Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award 2022. Vancouver International Film Fest Audience Award 22. Carpathian Mountain Film Fest Best Feature Doc 22. Aesthetica Short Film Festival Best Director, and Best Documentary Feature 22. Kendal Mountain Film Festival Grand Prize 22. Nordic Adventure Film Festival Best Cinematography 23. Selected for BFI The Camera Is Ours: Pioneering British Female Filmmakers showcase 2022 in BFI Southbank London.
Available soon online, announcement via instagram @ofthewiild