Line-ups announced for Screenplay and Wordplay including Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro and writer Cal Flyn

Oscar-winning film director Guillermo del Toro is among the “glittering array of guests” confirmed for upcoming Shetland festivals.

Del Toro, who is best known for his Academy Award-winning films Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, will be appearing virtually at Shetland Arts’ Screenplay festival next month.

Curated by film critics Mark Kermode, Linda Ruth Williams and director Kathy Hubbard, Screenplay will host in-person screenings and events over five days.

Other guests attending virtually from across the globe include Icíar Bollaín, Ben Sharrock, Tim Barrow, Alistair Morrison, Priya Ramasubban, Aidan Nicol and Yrsa Roca Fannberg.

More star guests will be in attendance later in the month for the return of Wordplay.

Curated by Shetland singer-songwriter, journalist and author, Malachy Tallack, the festival will feature a range of author events and workshops, with some taking place online.

The impressive guest line-up, most of whom will be arriving in person, includes Cal Flyn, Gavin Francis, Mary Paulson-Ellis, Damian Barr, Jen Hadfield, Christine De Luca, Jennifer Lucy Allen, Donald S Murray, Alycia Pirmohamed and Kathryn Briggs.

Also taking place next month will be HomeMade, featuring short films by local filmmakers and Shetland Writers’ Night, which this year will also feature the 2021 Shetland Young Writer of the Year Awards.

Shetland Arts, which is organising the festivals, confirmed they will be going ahead with live audiences.

Members can attend by booking buying a Screencard, Wordcard or, for the first time, Festival Card, which allows folk to immerse themselves in both festivals.

The cards allow access to all festival events and screenings, alongside priority booking when the full programmes are announced next Wednesday.

Screenplay will run from Wednesday, 1st September to Sunday, 5th September.

Wordplay is from Wednesday, 15th September to Sunday, 19th September.