Submarine Man went down well

TWO salty sea dogs greeted an eager audience at the Garrison Theatre on Tuesday night with home-baked chocolate submarine biscuits, lovingly prepared by the wife of local film director Dave Hammond, writes Jordan Ogg.

The nautical theme made an apt backdrop for the first public screening of Hammond’s documentary Submarine Man, a short film about Mike Illet, an idiosyncratic life-long bachelor and former submariner who built a replica submarine in the garden of his Norfolk home.

Some years later Illet moved to the Isle of Eday in Orkney and decided to take his submarine with him.

Billed as a ‘testament to tenacity, rabbits and teacakes’, Hammond’s document of Illet’s relocation proved relaxing entertainment to an audience that filled well over half the auditorium.

Intersected with war-time footage from the BBC archive and old film of Orkney shot by local broadcaster Jonathan Wills, it was clear that the director has done a significant amount of work in bringing Illet’s story to the screen.

The soundtrack showcased the work of young Shetlander composer Liam Irvine, and featured the deft cello playing of Lerwick lad Hayden Hook.

The screening was followed by a lively question and answer session, which Hammond described as ‘really intelligent, with a couple of surprises’. He added that he had found the experience ‘rather heart-warming’ and the audience had responded ‘really well’.