Film and television activity is expanding rapidly at global level. Within the Scottish Highlands and Islands Partner area, it is important economically, culturally and socially, and its importance is growing.

The Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission (SHIFC) was officially launched on 10^th November 1997. It is run by a partnership of Argyll and Bute Council, The Highland Council, The Moray Council, Orkney Islands Council,

Shetland Islands Council, and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The service works closely with Scottish Screen.

The role of the Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission is to encourage film and television-related activity in the area by making it as simple and efficient as possible for film and television companies to operate in the geographical area covered by Argyll and Bute Council, The Highland Council, The Moray Council, Orkney

Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. In practical terms this entails:

• Marketing locations to film-makers in conjunction with Scottish Screen.
• Providing, free, comprehensive, timely and confidential information to film-makers about locations and film-related supplies and services.
• Liaising between film-makers and appropriate contacts within local authority Services, relevant public organisations and the private sector in order to facilitate access for film-makers to the locations, supplies and services they require when filming in the SHIFC area.
• Contributing to the broader development of film and television related activity.

The objective shared by the network partners is to develop and operate a film liaison Service, which will equal or surpass the film liaison services available elsewhere in Britain and, indeed, internationally in order to establish the Scottish Highlands and Islands as a leading location for film- and television-related activity world-wide.

Further information can be obtained by visiting the Commissions’s website.