Lewis Paxton’s first film, starring Domhnall Gleeson newcomerwill open the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year.
Produced by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International, the film stars British comedy Gayle Rankin (Dragon House(And Grant O’Rourke)Outlander), with a cast including John Hannah, Michelle Gomez, and Eamonn Elliott.
newcomer Set on a remote Scottish island, the film follows siblings Isla (Rankin) and Sandy (O’Rourke), who have lived in peaceful isolation for decades, hunting seabirds, conversing with mythical creatures, and defending their island from terrifying arrivals. Their world is turned upside down with the arrival of Daniel (Gleeson), an eccentric council employee, tasked with uprooting them to the mainland.
Written and directed by Paxton, newcomer It won the NEXT Innovator Award at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It will be released by Universal Pictures International in the UK and Ireland later this year, with Focus acquiring international rights.
Paxton, who as a teenager worked as a guide at the Scottish Festival, said opening the EIFF is a dream come true. “Performing in my beloved hometown… sharing this story with a Scottish audience is amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a more important premiere.”
Paul Reed, CEO and Festival Director, added: “With wit, grace and wit, this stunning, unexpected and so beautifully acted Scottish debut wowed us when we first saw it in January. We are delighted to open this year’s edition with a film that embodies such an exciting and inspiring spirit of creativity, empathy and invention in filmmaking. This is exactly the kind of film that EIFF is all about.”
Shirley O’Connor and Emily Gotto are producers, with Wendy Griffin as co-producer. The film is supported by the BFI (which awards National Lottery funding), and Screen Scotland, with additional support from Moby and Lindsay Hicks’ US production company Little Walnut, Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions, Head Gear Films in the UK, and Inevitable Pictures in Ireland.
The 79th Edinburgh International Film Festival will take place from 13 to 19 August.
