The movie is called Seachd. No, that’s not a misprint for “searched”, but Gaelic for seven. The first Gaelic feature film to make it to the cinema, it comes out in Scotland on Friday, then in England, at a scattering of art houses, later in October.

It’s excellent, a family saga directed by an Englishman, although Simon Miller grew up in Scotland and has recently learnt Gaelic. But few in England are likely to see it, partly because cinemas say they can’t show a film the public can’t pronounce. Actually, Seachd is pronounced “shack”.

There will be no amusing Oscar speeches in Gaelic for Seachd, either. After the high praise it received at the Edinburgh film festival last month, it seemed a shoo-in as a contender in the foreign-language category. But Bafta, which oversees these matters, has this year decided not to offer any non-English-language British-made film, which counts out Seachd. Daft. Nor will Bafta explain its reasoning.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the culture minister, Margaret Hodge, had begun a website diary. Well, I’m in her latest entry. “Tea with Richard Brooks, who was quick to challenge that, apart from culture ministers, other members of the government seemed almost embarrassed to be seen enjoying the arts. It’s an interesting point, but not true.”

But it is true. Ministers can go to football matches or talk about rugby, but are wary of the arts, unlike their counterparts in continental Europe.

Okay, Tony Blair recently went to the Almeida theatre, in Islington. But the actor manqué(in fact, he was a great actor as a politician) was probably just trying to find the site of the old Granita restaurant, 100 yards away. And, although Gordon Brown, who is in fact extremely well read, opened the terracotta-army exhibition at the British Museum, this was more an act of cultural diplomacy.

At least the cabinet’s enterprise secretary, John Hutton, is writing a play, about the first world war. A welcome bit of cultural enterprise.

The Tories are finalising their arts policy after a six-month review. I went to the final session, where “practising artists” (whatever that means: they haven’t quite got it right yet?) told the audience why and how they should be funded. Most of the artists/performers were embarrassingly inarticulate. They should stick to the day (or usually night) job.

Alan Davey, director of culture at the department for culture, is to take over as chief executive of the Arts Council next year. Final proof that department and council are joined at the hip?

Lucian Freud has wisely kept his mouth shut for decades, letting his painting do the talking. His latest work – Ria, Naked Portrait 2007 – goes on show at Tate Modern from Friday. It must have broken all records for sitting longevity.

Ria Kirby, his very attractive model, sat (make that lay on her side on a sofa) over a 16-month period in five-hour sessions, seven nights a week. They missed only four sessions over the entire period. That’s about 2,400 hours for one portrait.

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