ONE of Scotland's leading film producers has expressed his "interest" in the work of Creative Scotland, the nation's arts funding body, which is shortly to begin a search for a new chairman.

Bob Last, who is currently involved in the filming of Sunset Song, directed by Terrence Davies and starring Agyness Deyn, has recently stood down from his role as chairman of the Culture Enterprise Office but remains chairman of the Centre for Moving Image in Edinburgh.

Sir Sandy Crombie, the first chairman of Creative Scotland, which distributes £100m a year to the arts and screen industries, will not take a full second term as chairman and will leave in December this year.

The post of chairman is appointed by the Scottish Government.

Mr Last, who also produced the Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, said there were areas of Creative Scotland's work in which he was interested.

However, he did not decisively throw his hat in the ring. He said: "If other people are interested [in me?]? I am what the Americans call an 'amateur policy wonk', I am interested in that, but I do try to balance that with actually making things.

"It is kind of for other people [to say], but I have been asked the question, but not yet by anyone who is going to make the decision."

Last, who once ran Fast Product records in Edinburgh, who released songs by Human League, Gang of Four and The Mekons, added: "[Creative Scotland] have got issues around film and they have got a lot of catching up to do on that. All my life I have worked in things which are about resolving tension between creativity and money."