One man’s quixotic quest to bring American bison to his Scottish homeland

‘Other people would probably think I’m mad, but everything starts from somewhere.’

Consumed by the idea of bringing American bison (commonly called ‘buffalo’) to his native Scotland, Scott Shand became the country’s first commercial bison farmer after buying a herd and relocating it to the small coastal village of Muchalls. Between working 12-hour night shifts at an undersea-equipment manufacturing company, Scott, together with his family and several business partners, tends to the herd and attempts to turn the venture into a successful business. Buffalo Dreams finds the animals struggling to adapt to the Scottish climate, and Scott struggling to keep his dream of a thriving Scottish bison farm alive. Wistful and beautifully shot, Maurice O’Brien’s film captures a slow collision between dreams and reality, and explores the complex and delicate interplay between people, animals and environments.