Margaret Tait (1918-1999) was born in Orkney. After qualifying in Medicine from Edinburgh University in 1941, she joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in India, Sri Lanka and Malaya, before returning to Orkney in 1946. She studied filmmaking in Rome from 1950-52, at the height of Neorealism. Returning to the UK, Tait established her own film company, Ancona films, working first in Edinburgh before returning to her native Orkney where she continued to make films until her death in 1999.