This Is My Land (2006)

Directed by: Ben Rivers | 14 minutes | short film, documentary | Starring: Jake Williams

Jake Williams lives in the rugged countryside of Scotland and lives there as a hermit with his cat and pony. He shows you extensively how and where he lives, but there is almost no talk. At one point, Jake does sing a song and plays a kind of banjo. No Idol has been lost to Jake, but he has authenticity and is not embarrassed. Jake is the type of man you expect in Showtime or De Stoel. So special.

Ben Rivers filmed the hermit. Rivers has only made short films, you can see four of him at IFFR 2007. Besides ‘This Is My Land’ also ‘Astika’, ‘The Hyrcynium Wood’ and ‘The Coming Race’. Also ‘Astika’ is about a loner and his life. the other two short films are about the mysterious and puzzling things humans can do. Rivers’ films are shot out of hand and that also makes ‘This Is My Land’ restless to watch, despite nothing happening at all. You do see beautiful images of snowy landscapes, a cat playing in the snow and a pony rolling in it.

This short folk film participates in Short: As Long as it Takes and has been nominated for the Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films.