Our Staff

We are a small charity with three dedicated staff members.

David Barras

Co-Founder/Executive Director

I was born and brought up in Armadale, West Lothian and have been involved in education and media production since 1993. Film was a big part of my childhood but it seemed outwith the grasp of anyone coming from West Lothian. I’ve now been making and teaching about film for over 30 years and have been lucky enough to make music videos, documentaries, shorts and a feature. Film is a great way to teach important life skills and and being able to analyse film is vital for everybody.

Scott Mackay

Co-Founder/Executive Director

I too grew up in Armadale and always, always, always wanted to tell stories. It started with the old school Dungeons and Dragons for my pals (including David) and I was hooked on making words come alive ever since that time. But no one, not even our parents ever encouraged us to follow that as a career. I am also addicted to talking - I'll start a monologue for my fellow passengers at a bus stop - and so I even enjoy the meetings and all the other things we have to do but they don't compare to being with young people and exploring their story, watching it come alive in their minds before we even get a camera out.

Heather Bowry

General Manager

Making films is something I have been doing since I was a teenager. Film is such a rich and diverse art form that offers a whole world of skillsets and practices in which people can play and explore. Initially, my route into film was through a love of acting and I eventually found myself producing commercial video projects in Canada before moving back to bonnie Scotland and joining the team at SYFF. I find so much enjoyment in exploring this great wide world of filmmaking and hope to encourage young people to do the same to find their passion, their voice, learn new skills… and make new friends and have loads of fun along the way!