{"id":583551,"date":"2026-05-14T12:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/583551\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:42:10","slug":"a-beautiful-film-new-documentary-offers-vivid-retelling-of-shetland-bus-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/583551\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A beautiful film\u2019: new documentary offers vivid retelling of Shetland Bus story"},"content":{"rendered":"

PERHAPS the new Shetland Bus film Hearts Across The Sea was summed up best at last night\u2019s (Wednesday) premiere to invited guests when Leslie Watt said from the audience that \u201cyou were laughing one minute, and crying the next\u201d.<\/p>\n

Guests turned out in force to the UHI Shetland campus in Scalloway to get a first glimpse at Claire White and Jonathon Bulter\u2019s impressive new 30-minute documentary.<\/p>\n

With interviews featuring wartime memories interspersed with historical footage and modern day clips, it does indeed cover the gamut of emotions \u2013 and manages to somehow distil World War II\u2019s Shetland Bus story into just half an hour.<\/p>\n

It is also expertly shot by Bulter, with crisp-clear footage allied with impressive drone work; \u201cI never knew Shetland looked so beautiful,\u201d Watt joked.<\/p>\n

Leslie\u2019s mother Lexie Watt happens to be one of the stars of the film as she recalled a Norwegian sailor who visited Scalloway \u2013 \u201ceen o da Shetland Bus boys\u201d. We won\u2019t ruin the story, but it is a heartwarming tale.<\/p>\n

Much of the film is anchored by Bill Moore, the Shetland Bus Friendship Society trustee and source of great historical knowledge, who retells the story of the Shetland Bus \u2013 the undercover World War II operation between Shetland and the Nazi-occupied Norway, which unfortunately claimed 44 lives.<\/p>\n

It is a daring story of wartime solidarity that is well known throughout Shetland, Norway and beyond \u2013 particularly in Scalloway, which ended up being the base for the operation.<\/p>\n

Hearts Across The Sea is now set to help open up the Shetland Bus story to the next generation, with the video set to go online and a 10-minute edit being made for schools.<\/p>\n

The wartime memories come via the minds of Lexi Watt, Tommy Isbister and Douglas Smith, while there are other contributions from a range of voices both local and Norwegian.<\/p>\n

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Some of the contributions from Norway include from those taking part in the Liberation Convoy last year to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, and Astrid Larsen, the daughter of famed Shetland Bus hero Leif Larsen.<\/p>\n

The convoy saw a flotilla of boats sail from Norway to Shetland<\/a>, including some of the vessels used in the Shetland Bus operation.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a Q&A after the film\u2019s presentation, White said it quickly became clear that the Liberation Convoy \u2013 which solidified Shetland and Norway\u2019s bond under sunshine last May \u2013 would be a \u201cfeast for the senses and emotions\u201d.<\/p>\n

The film took around 12 months in total to finish, supported by funding from the Scalloway Museum and Salmon Scotland.<\/p>\n

Showing how much the project meant to her, White struggled to hold back the emotions when she spoke about the time her interviewees gave her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the privilege of the project to speak to that folk,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bulter meanwhile said a key challenge was taking the hours of footage and edit it down to make it \u201cdigestible\u201d.<\/p>\n

All is not lost, however; the pair confirmed that the unedited footage will be made accessible via Scalloway Museum. \u201cIt\u2019s over a terabyte,\u201d White said. \u201cIt\u2019s mair than a hard drive\u2019s worth!\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking in the college foyer after the screening as folk grabbed some nibbles, Moore \u2013 whose father owned Scalloway\u2019s William Moore & Sons shipyard, where repairs were made to Norwegian boats<\/a> \u2013 said White and Bulter had done a \u201cwonderful job\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you consider the interest in the museum,\u201d he added, \u201cit\u2019s astonishing just how much interest there is.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of folk have never heard of it [the Shetland Bus] before, but it really has a great appeal because I think it was different in many ways to a lot of the wartime activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is clear that the new film is only going to widen the appeal of the Shetland Bus story, further imprinting it on the minds \u2013 and hearts \u2013 of people not just around these parts, but much further afield.<\/p>\n

Anyone wishing to see it for themselves can get a first glimpse at a free public screening at the Scalloway UHI campus next Wednesday (20 May) from 7pm.<\/p>\n

Also being shown at that event will be White and Bulter\u2019s Hands Across the Hills, a new short music film documenting Jan Baalsrud\u2019s 1943 escape from occupied Norway when a Shetland Bus mission went badly wrong.<\/p>\n

Before that, however, will be a commemoration and wreath-laying at the Shetland Bus memorial in Scalloway on Sunday at 3pm to mark Norway\u2019s Constitution Day.<\/p>\n

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