Scottish screen stars making a splash

For a country of just over five million inhabitants, the number of movie stars Scotland has produced remains truly remarkable.

From Sir Sean Connery and Tom Conti through to today's new breed of big screen prodigies such as Gerard Butler, Scots have clocked up a steady stream of box office successes. As more than 20,000 people take their seats this month for the Glasgow Film Festival, Scottish acting and film talent has been making its mark thousands of miles away in Hollywood.

The Scottish film The Illusionist - made by a team of animators in Edinburgh and Dundee - has been nominated for an Oscar in February. The film, which has been described as a a 'fairytale depiction' of Scotland has been nominated in the Best Animated Feature Film category, and is up against Toy Story 3 and How To Train Your Dragon.

Arrival of a New Generation

Former Glasgow University law student Gerard Butler has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. The Paisley-born actor has starred in some of the high-profile films of the past five years (300, RocknRolla, PS I Love You), and received critical acclaim in America for his crafted depiction of Clyde Shelton in Law Abiding Citizen, released in 2009.

His good looks and the persistent speculation about his off-screen romances have kept him in the global spotlight as one of Hollywood’s most talked about stars.

Another shining light in this new generation of Scottish screen darlings, following the likes of Ewan McGregor, Dougray Scott, Robert Carlyle and Kelly MacDonald, is James McAvoy.

The Glasgow-born actor has enjoyed a stratospheric rise since appearing in the Oscar-winning 2006 film, The Last King of Scotland, which depicted the deeds of former Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin.

Since then, the BAFTA Rising Star has enjoyed several leading parts, starring alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2008 film, Wanted, which was nominated for two Academy Awards.

Nairn-born Tilda Swinton has also made an impact on the big screen. The Oscar-winning actress can count Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Brad Pitt among her co-stars. Towards the end of the year she is due to star in the screen version of We Need To Talk About Kevin, which is being adapted for cinema by Scottish film-maker Lynne Ramsay.

Amongst the recent Scottish films to attract critical acclaim is Peter Mullan's hard-hitting Neds which received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010.

A national passion

Why has a small nation produced so many with the X-Factor when it comes to film acting? Celia Stevenson of Scottish Screen, the national development agency, believes it is because Scotland is a nation which has always had a love affair with the movies.

"There is a higher incidence of movie watching here than in any other part of the UK," she explains.

“Scots love to go to the cinema and they love to see good films. It is natural, therefore, that young people watch and think it is what they want to do. The Scottish Youth Theatre, for example, has produced so many talents. Some recent examples are David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) and Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings)."

Success Behind the Scenes

Thankfully, Scotland's influence in the glamorous world of film has many facets. It is not just Scotland's actors and actresses getting their names in lights. Scots behind the camera are building excellent reputations, too.

A man whose star is most certainly on the rise is A-list director, Kevin Macdonald. Grandson of renowned English/Hungarian director, Emeric Pressburger, Glasgow-born Macdonald's impact in the movie world has been staggering.

His first documentary, One day in September (2000) – about the Munich Olympic massacre – won an Oscar. He then went to the BAFTAs and won Best British Film for Touching the Void. The Last King of Scotland was Macdonald's first hit feature film, earning him international recognition.

He has returned to Scotland to shoot his latest picture, The Eagle– an epic story set in Roman Britain in 140 AD. "I see it as a Western set in Scotland, where the landscape is the dominant value," he says. The film will make its UK premiere on February 27 at the Glasgow Film Festival closing gala.

Made in Scotland

One of the most significant advances in the growth of Scotland as a film nation has been the increase in the number of films made or produced in Scotland.

Commentators have predicted that Glasgow, in particular, will become a rival to London as one of the best places to make a film outside of America.

One of the reasons for this emergence is the establishment of FilmCity Glasgow, a stable which has already produced excellent films such as the award winning, Red Road.

FilmCity was the brainchild of Gillian Berrie, principal of Glasgow-based company, Sigma Films. After seeing first hand how a similar project in Copenhagen had transformed the Scandinavian industry, Berrie won the backing of Glasgow City Council and Scottish Enterprise for her vision.

Govan Town Hall was renovated at a cost of £3.5 million and is now a nerve centre for film production. It houses more than 20 firms from the screen and wider creative industries. It houses Scotland's first Dolby theatre, filming studios, production offices, art floors and picture and sound post-production offices to rival any in Europe.

While Scotland previously enjoyed a reputation as a great place to shoot a movie, it now has the facilities to see the digital film making process through from start to finish.

Glasgow's reward

From FilmCity's base, Sigma made Red Road – winner of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival Jury award and five BAFTA Scotland prizes.

The company also created Hallam Foe, starring Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame – a story of a teenage loner who courts trouble and love by spying on people. The movie won six nominations at the 2007 British Independent Film awards and Silver Bear for best music at the Berlin Film Festival.

Glasgow, too, is becoming a popular location for movie makers shooting hard hitting storylines set in New York! This surprise development is illustrated in the film which closed last year's Glasgow Film Festival – Legacy.

British/Nigerian Director Tomas Ikimi shot lead man Idris Elba's Brooklyn-based scenes in Glasgow. Glasgow City Chambers was mocked up as a court house. Motel action sequences were also shot in FilmCity's studio in Govan.

"The brickwork in Glasgow is the same as you would see in the older parts of Manhattan, in Fifth Avenue or Madison Avenue. The biggest difficulty we had was with taxi cabs, the way people are dressed and the street markings," said Ikimi, who studied at University in New York.

Ikimi and his team got round the street marking problems with screens and paint. More independent companies are gearing up to do the same. That can only be good for Glasgow and Scotland, forcing its reputation even higher.

Glasgow Film Festival runs 17th - 27th February 2011.