The Angus filmmaker behind an award-winning documentary about the controversial Trump golf course in Aberdeenshire has accused Scotland’s First Minister of being too scared to attend a public screening.
Despite inviting Alex Salmond to previous shows of You’ve Been Trumped to no avail, Anthony Baxter, who is based in Montrose, is hoping the SNP leader will take up an opportunity to see it this Friday following his high-profile public support of the Disney/Pixar animation Brave in Edinburgh at the weekend.
Mr Salmond attended a red carpet European premiere for the film, which is set in the Highlands, describing it as ”a terrific showcase for Scotland across the world”.
You’ve Been Trumped looks at the social, economic and environmental effects of the £750 million development at the Menie Estate, north of Aberdeen, as well as how the Trump Organisation conducted itself in order to bring the project to fruition.
Mr Baxter was arrested during the course of filming on the estate and has faced a year-long battle to secure the release of the documentary in selected cinemas across Scotland and further afield.
It will receive its official cinema release in Courier Country just days before Donald Trump’s golf course opens premiering on Friday in St Andrews.
Officials at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews have been invited to the screening and Mr Baxter is also urging the club to boycott the opening of the Trump course because he says it has failed to minimise its impact on the natural environment.
The St Andrews screening will be followed by runs in Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling and the Highlands and Islands. The film will also play in London and selected cinemas elsewhere in the UK before opening in the US in August.
The documentary has scooped 10 major awards during its global festival run and it had a screening at the Scottish Parliament in April the day before Donald Trump’s appearance there to give evidence about windfarms.
Mr Baxter has invited Alex Salmond to two screenings at Holyrood and has also offered to organise a public screening at a time and day of his choosing but says there has been no reply.
On Tuesday, he emailed Mr Salmond’s special adviser Geoff Aberdein asking the First Minister to attend the premiere at the New Picture House in St Andrews.
Mr Baxter said: ”It’s astonishing to me the fact that he’s gone to see Brave but he doesn’t seem brave enough to see a film about people in his own constituency.”
He added that the First Minister made a ”big thing” about supporting Scottish films when he was talking about Brave.
”In my letter I have pointed out that You’ve Been Trumped is now the highest rated British film (documentary or otherwise) on the Hollywood database IMDb (Internet Movie Database website).”
In the letter Mr Baxter also wrote of a sense of urgency that Mr Salmond sees the film in a Scottish cinema prior to the opening of Trump’s golf course on July 10.
The film-maker said: ”At the end of the day, all I want is for Mr Salmond to see it. They did say he would watch it if we sent him a copy but we haven’t done that because I just think it is so important he sees it in public.
”We think he should see it with people who live in this country and see their response.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: ”An invitation has been received by the First Minister’s office who will reply in early course.”