Thrawn: A Scots Story

Aim

We're making a braw documentary about how Scots language has been dragged through the gutter and re-emerged. Help us complete our film!

Hiya Folks! It's Ash here. I'm a girl form Ayrshire, who for most of her life has listened to countless people tell me "you don't sound like your from Ayrshire..."

Ayrshire is a region in the south-west of Scotland, where Scots is widely spoken amongst friends and family. And we're not talking Robert Burns style sonnetry, but everyday conversations infused with "ayes", "naws" and "wheeshts". But when I was growing up, you were taught that Scots was not a language, it was "slang". At School and in professional environments, Scots was discouraged and ridiculed. Scots speakers were seen as NEDs (Non-Educated Delinquents), and you'd even get a row from a teacher if you tried using it in class. You were humiliated just for being Scottish. 

I grew up with a perception that my culture, and my heritage, the way my parents and grandparents spoke to me, was wrong. I spent much of my teenage and adult years believing it. I saw other people drop Scots words from their conversations and I stopped using Scots language all together. I'd feel proud when people said "you don't have a strong Scottish accent", or "are you Irish?" 

I started to unpack this a few years ago when I realised that most nations have some sort of cultural pride, be it in language or shared experience. And I realised that Scottish people had a duality. There's a pride and a shame that run through being Scottish. Although we have been told that Scots is wrong, we are stubborn, strong, unyielding, and thrawn. 

We are both the life of the party and the butt of the joke. In media we're shorthand for eccentric, crazy, wild, mystical and misunderstood. We're seen as both welcoming and friendly, and unruly and rough. 

I began to realise that I was part of the problem. If I, a Scot, didn’t have respect for my own culture, who would? I started to talk about it with people, and both Scots and internationals understood and even resonated with this idea. It turns out lots of languages and cultures go through this near-death experience.

We Scots struggle to articulate this duality of pride and shame, and I’d like to bring the feelings and thoughts to life visually through film, with this documentary. 

I’m travelling across Scotland, and beyond, to speak with folk who’ve felt the same. Because this isn’t just about Scots. It’s about every culture that’s been told it should shoosh!

Thrawn explores my journey - from winning a Scots poetry contest as a wee girl, through abandoning the sound and language of my kin, to currently redefining my relationship with Scots. Along the way, I interview prominent Scots who have had similar experiences and explore how other languages all over the world have gone through this shift. 

This year (2025) Scots was officially recognised as a language. And I'd like to look to the future of the language and culture, and make steps toward preservation and celebration. 

Thrawn will be a positive portrayal of Scots, infused with heart and humour. Showing our resilience in a way that everyone can understand and relate to.  

What we need

Production has started, featuring interviews with comedian Karen Dunbar, presenter Zarah Hill and director Ciaran Lyons. I have also started capturing footage of my journey, and building the form of the documentary.

The next steps are to continue production, capturing more interviews with prominent Scots, and non-Scots. We need funding to cover the cost of production, take the film into post-production and onto distribution. 

Our crew is small but mighty, and quality is extremely important to us. This story deserves to be told well, so every penny will go a long way to craft a fun and engaging documentary.

If we go over our goal we'd love to deliver more of Thrawn and more Scottish Stories. 

This is a rough look at our schedule:

What you'll get

If you choose to back our film, there are a range of perks to choose from. From postcards to pin badges to screenings. 

Every donation will be used to bring this story to life, so if you read this, nodding, thinking Scots deserves better, then join us in making history.

If you can't donate... You can still give us a hand!

Share this campaign on social media, and tell your friends and family about Thrawn. It'll go a long way!

So far we have been shooting as a small team of DOP Brendan Swift, Sound Op Alicja Smykla, Production Assistant Ryan Phillips, Drone Op Michael Dick, and some other freelancers. We're keeping costs low by working as a small team, but quality is high, as each person brings professionalism and expertise to the project. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made