The Scottish singing star exploring same-sex relationships around the world in new film

She has been one of Scotland’s rising singing stars in recent years and has performed on some of the nation’s biggest stages.

But now Kim Carnie is set to make an impact in the world of filmmaking, with a documentary exploring why people are forced to hide their sexuality and same-sex relationships.

It sees the Oban-born singer, who is appearing in both the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, recalling her own experiences in a “secret” six-year relationship, the “internal homophobia” she felt when she was younger, and the prejudice and bullying she has encountered in Scotland.

Singer Kim Carnie.

The 90-minute documentary follows Carnie as she writes and then performs new songs inspired by people she has interviewed around the world during the making of the documentary, which is billed as “both an exploration of the challenges faced by people because of their sexuality and a joyous celebration of being gay”.

Kim Carnie Out Loud will get its first Scottish screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre next month before it is shown at Sea Change, Scotland’s only annual celebration of female filmmaking, on the Isle of Tiree.

However, the documentary has already won awards after being screened at international film festivals in Sweden, Malta, Italy and the United States.

Carnie, who has been singing with the band Mànran and Staran in recent years, was crowned Gaelic Singer of the Year in 2021 and released her debut solo album the following year. She has featured on the soundtrack of the film Outlaw King and the video game Black Mirror, and joined the Transatlantic Sessions tour for the first time this year.

Singer Kim Carnie.

The idea for the film was suggested to Carnie, a former children’s TV presenter on Gaelic channel BBC Alba, by award-winning director and producer Maureen Macleod, who persuaded the singer to agree to put herself at the heart of the documentary.

She said: “I wasn’t too keen at first and did take some convincing. I wanted it to be more about other people. It was very intense being filmed talking about my personal life and some of the hardest things I’ve ever spoken about.

"I was also filmed writing and recording in the studio, which I found really difficult, as it’s such a personal experience for me. It felt like my whole life was being filmed.

“It was such a challenge and I’m so glad I did it, but it was exhausting and I didn’t know if I could get through it.

Singer Kim Carnie.

"Maureen can tell a good story, so I just had to trust her vision as a very experienced director and producer. She’s done such a good job."

The documentary, which was made over the course of around two years, recalls how Carnie won a place at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton, in the Highlands, where a long-term relationship began with a fellow student when she was 16.

Carnie, who is now 30, said: “We were bullied quite a bit. There were rumours flying around the school that we were together and of course we denied them.

"The school was in a very traditional rural community in the Highlands. I feel it was handled so badly by the staff. We were meant to be there for two years, but only lasted a year before we moved to another school.

Singer Kim Carnie.

"I think society has changed and opinions have changed since then, but we were there at a very bad moment.”

Kim Carnie Out Loud also sees the singer travel overseas to speak to hear from members of various queer communities on how they have handled their sexuality in the face of hostility or even legal restrictions in their own country.

Carnie and her current partner recall the homophobia they have encountered in Glasgow, including an incident with a threatening person who appeared to object to them holding hands in public.

Carnie said: “I think most people of my generation who are queer can identify with and have experience of internal homophobia because of the experiences we’ve had, whether through things directed at us or comments we’ve heard indirectly. I heard so much homophobia growing up in the Highlands.

“If you look at the charts right now, younger generations have so many incredible queer artists and icons to look up to now. We didn’t really have any role models when I was growing up.

"People have been incredibly kind to me in the traditional music scene in Scotland. I feel like I’m in a very supportive community.”

Kim Carnie Out Loud is being screened at the Glasgow Film Theatre on 5 September and the Sea Change Film Festival on Tiree on 22 September.

Kim Carnie is appearing with Mànran at The Hub as part of the Edinburgh International Festival on 10 August and with the Trinity Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Queen’s Hall as part of the Fringe.