“Somethin’ is shiftin’. Oor lives are aboot tae change here.”

Cianalas / (key-an-a-lus) / noun – A deep seated sense of belonging to the place where your roots lie. There is no sadness or melancholy in cianalas, only the realisation of what is truly important in life.

Set over the span of two years in the 19th century Scottish Highlands, Cianalas tells the story of a community’s resistance to mass evictions during the Highland Clearances – one of the darkest moments of Scotland’s history. 

With its traditional live music and use of the Gaelic language, Cianalas explores the themes of belonging, legacy, power, the evolving role of women, and the unsettlement that comes from uprooting communities from their land.