Film festivals are a great way to encourage an emerging industry, according to Billy Boyd, the lead actor of globe-conquering adaptations of J R R Tolkein’s. He is here in Muscat to participate in the seventh edition of the Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF).

Boyd, who is an accomplished musician and stage actor, said, “I think it is important to have a festival because then governments will start noticing the interest and start supporting. Those interested in films have to keep pushing and get noticed.”

Citing the example of Scotland, he said, “Though we have film festivals, we don’t have an industry and it’s still so difficult to make a movie. So I feel it’s important to hold festivals.”
On whether he attends festivals, he said, “I don’t participate in a lot of festivals. I wish I could go for more but I always enjoy it when I do attend. I have started to do the famous festivals like the Toronto, Edinburg, Berlin.

“They are wonderful but sometimes, like in the Cannes, they become something else. People are trying to sell their movies hard. It’s not sometimes love for films that you sometimes get in smaller festivals. I kind of enjoy going to them. Sometimes you get to see some wonderful films there and wonder why is this film not huge?”

Talking about world cinema, he said, “I think Japan is making great films. I have seen a lot of Japanese films. The French also always make beautiful and understated films. Spanish films are great just now and so are Korean films. Besides, America is always got something going on.”

Speaking of Oman, he said, “It is a beautiful place.”
He added: “I really love this region and am definitely going to spend more time here. I find it incredibly interesting and love the spiritual side of it. I think there is something special about coming here.”

Talking of his love for travelling, Boyd said, “I think travelling is one of the most important things we can do as human beings. A lot of the problems in the world happens when people don’t travel.

“The more you isolate yourself the more you see others as enemies. You have seen this happen all through history and time. When we travel we understand that all are basically human beings; we all have the same kind of internal emotions, drives and goals.
“The more you travel the more you realise the world is small. We are all trying to get through.”

Billy Boyd is most recognizable as Pippin Took, from Peter Jackson’s globe-conquering adaptations of Lord of the Rings.
The Scot goes on to say: “In Scotland, we make some wonderful films and we don’t have an industry. I think it’s important to have things like this because juts by having these festivals, the government will see things or we need to get an industry.”
On the films in the Gulf region, he said, “I went to the film festival in Dubai and loved it.”

Another side of this native Scot is that he is an accomplished stage actor as well as an ukulele player.

He is also currently developing a buddy movie with Rings associate Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and his band BK has an album coming up. So, his hands are full.

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Boyd conducted a fun quiz session on the film The Lord of the Rings. A student stunned Boyd when he recalled the nine characters of the film.

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