Video launch during EIFF month

In June, Scotland was fully immersed in the world of films during the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).  This year marked the 71st edition of the Festival which is the longest continually running film festival in the world.  There was no better time than this to launch our own latest video telling the Victim Support Scotland story.

Alongside this video some of our dedicated volunteers and staff also took part in telling their stories on film. You can watch their stories here

During the festival we were delighted to be invited to attend the premiere of The Last Photograph.

Tom McCulloch from our Dumfries office attended on behalf of VSS and you can read his compelling review below:

The storyline is about the relationship between father and son and the emotional impact on the father after his son is murdered when flight Pan Am103 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb over the town of Lockerbie.

The film captures the initial reactions of shock and disbelief and the refusal to accept that his son has died.  When he realises that there were no survivors his grief is played out through a range of emotions – with anger and guilt dominating his life.

A photograph of father and son together at Christmas is his only tangible and most precious link to his son’s memory – when this is stolen in a random crime he becomes obsessed with recovering the photograph.  His grieving is intensified by a failure to speak about his feelings to others but eventually he shares his emotional distress with a female neighbour who listens and supports.

The film recognises the common reactions to grief and the impact this has on the family of a victim. It also identifies the importance to family members of having some reminder that physically connects them to the victim.For many the film may be emotional but it is a recognition of the very real challenges faced by family members after the brutality of a murder. It is a production that captures the reality of life and death and held my attention from beginning to end.  I believe that the film has a strong message about the emotional impact of bereavement and how speaking to others can help.

The services offered by Victim Support enable family members to work their way through the grieving process by listening and supporting. Victim Support Scotland have services all across Scotland for victims and witnesses of crime, find your nearest service.