At the gala of The Last King of Scotland in Glasgow plans were discussed for new films. The director Kevin Macdonald is going to direct a television documentary about Klaus Barbie, the Nazi known as "The Butcher of Lyons", and the superb James McAvoy suggested a great idea for a Scottish film, a subject of much historical contention and one that has been brushed to the side for a very long time.

His comments at the event come through The Scotsman:

McAvoy said yesterday that he has always wanted to make a film about the Clearances.

"It's remarkable that it's never been touched. It's something that's been kind of forgotten, it's been a huge turning point, not only for Scotland but for our society, British society," he said.

"But that's going to take somebody to sit down and write it. Even then, it's not something that you are going to get funded that easily."

In the clearances, that occured in both the Highland and Lowlands, the traditional Scottish way of life was broken and destroyed, people were forced to move and lose their lands and lives at their hands. You can read more about the Highland and Lowland clearances on Wikipedia and also at Scotsman.com.

I would love to see that story, particularly as I am actually a Highlander. There are many, many stories in Scottish history but this is perhaps one of the most emotive and strongest that would be cinematically strong.

What would you think about a film like this, especially if you're Scottish or English, how would you feel about it?