Following its sold-out premiere at the 2016 Glasgow Film Festival, Hamish – Robbie Fraser’s much-anticipated documentary about Scottish cultural colossus Hamish Henderson – will tour cinemas across Scotland from the 3rd June.

Hamish Henderson (1919-2002) was a hugely influential part of Scotland’s cultural scene, a man of boundless passion and curiosity whose poems continue to elevate and inspire a nation.

Hamish pays tribute to the many contrary forces and diverse facets of Henderson’s life as a poet, soldier, intellectual, activist, songwriter and leading force of the revival of Scottish folk music.

From an English orphanage and the draughty corridors of Cambridge to overseeing the capitulation of the Italian army in WWII and penning the most celebrated Scottish ballad in contemporary folk music “Freedom Come Aa Ye”, this is Henderson’s life told by those who knew him best and loved him most.

14 years in the making, this heartfelt look at one of modern Scotland’s proudest sons weaves golden archive footage with the loving testimony of Henderson’s family, friends and colleagues.

“It’s been a privilege to work on a film about Hamish Henderson” says Robbie. “He’s a wee bit lost right now, faded from view. But he needs to be re-cemented into the Scottish imagination as a poet, a maker and an inspirer of people.

It is a very emotional film, and that comes in part because the story is told only through the words of people who knew him personally over many years. I’m pretty much the only person on the production who didn’t know him, and I wish I had. He was clearly a benevolent, adored and empowering cultural force.”

“I knew Hamish when I was a student at Edinburgh University” says the film’s writer Kevin MacNeil. “I found him and his colleagues such as John MacInnes and Margaret Bennett so inspiring I dropped my plans to study English Literature and took a degree in Scottish Ethnology instead.

It was a particular coup to hear from Hamish’s widow and daughters what living with Hamish and his influence has been like. What emerges is an honest and fascinating portrait of a complex and enormously influential man.”

Hamish is produced by Bees Nees Media (Glasgow). It is supported by MG Alba, BBC Alba and Creative Scotland. The key contributions were filmed in Edinburgh in the autumn of 2015, including filming in the legendary folk institution Sandy Bell’s.

The film’s original soundtrack is composed by Jim Sutherland, himself hugely influenced and encouraged by Hamish Henderson.

The film owes a great debt to the Hamish Henderson Estate and to Tim Neat for sharing many previously unseen writings, photographs and memorabilia.

HAMISH Cinema Release Dates

See www.facebook.com/HamishMovie for details

Aberdeen Belmont 2-8 June

GFT Glasgow 3, 4 & 5 June

Macrobert Stirling 3-7 June

Perth Playhouse 3-7 June

Edinburgh Filmhouse 3-8 June

Eden Court Inverness 3-9 June

An Lanntair Stornaway 4 June

The Tower Helensburgh 4 June

DCA Dundee 5 June

Grosvenor Glasgow 6-9 June

Aros Portree 9 June

Way Out West Cinema @ The Ceilidh House, Glenelg 10 June

Robert Burns Centre Dumfries 10-12 July

Screen Machine Tour of the Highlands and Islands

Lochmaddy 11 June

Daliburgh 16 June

Liniclate 19 June

Tarbert (Harris) 21 June

Fort Augustus 1 July

Fort William 2 July

Lochaline 7 July