Bringing the Golden Spurtle to the silver screen

Making this film was my first time in the Cairngorms National Park and it was a great introduction; it set a high bar. I’m from Sydney and have now made multiple pilgrimages to Carrbridge – I went there five times in a year, which must be a record for an Australian. 

I first found out about the event when I heard that Australian taco chef Toby Wilson had entered it, and I thought “maybe there’s a story here”. So I just rocked up on my own, knocked some doors and discovered some of the most interesting people in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.  

It developed into a film with two stories in one – the porridge competition, who’s going to win, who’s going to lose, who’s coming back to try and claim the Golden Spurtle, but also an absurdly joyful portrait of a Highland community.  

In making the film, I wanted to break away from the stereotypes as much as we could, we had a freedom to see things through a fresh lens. It wasn’t about kilts and bagpipes, it’s about a gorgeous landscape, welcoming and brooding and whimsical all at the same time, and how people are affected by that environment.  

The landscape is almost a character of the film in itself – towards to end of the film Charlie, one of our main protagonists, is looking out of the window, meditating on the Cairngorms. I think it promotes something philosophical.  

Charlie Miller, left, and Constantine Costi at the premiere in Edinburgh. Pako Mera

It really feels like we co-made it with the village, but then I disappeared and went away and edited it. We filmed it back in 2023, so it’s been so special to reconnect with everyone again at the premiere in Edinburgh during the International Film Festival. It was great to have people from the village come down for that and to see the impact on the people who are in the film, and on those who are watching it.  

In showcasing the village of Carrbridge, we now have so many people around the world connecting to that sense of community. I think we’ve really struck a nerve - it’s a really fun documentary with typical dry Scottish humour, I loved how witty and dynamic everyone was. I’d say Carrbridge punches above its weight, it’s not just the porridge championships, there’s Carve, the annual duck race, lots of local village pride. There was an energy and vibrancy that was so inspiring.  

I think whenever I’m over this side of the world I’ll always be going back to visit. The landscape is so limitless, you can be out in it for hours on end and not see a single soul – there’s something so dynamic yet intimate about it and such a contrast with Australia. If another story presented itself, I would take any excuse to return!