Scots films to premiere at Tornoto film festival

Peter Mullan appears in the big screen adaptation of Sunshine on Leith. Picture: Getty

Toronto’s event, one of the most prestigious in the global calendar, will be screening The Railway Man, Under The Skin, Starred Up and Sunshine on Leith.

All four films received backing from the arts funding body Creative Scotland, to the tune of £300,000 each, the maximum which can be awarded to a feature film.

Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman filmed The Railway Man - an epic tale based on the life of Scottish prisoner of war Eric Lomax - in a host of locations, including North Berwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Perth, Bo’ness, St Andrews, Edinburgh, St Monans, North Queensferry and Cockenzie.

Scottish film-maker David Mackenzie, the man behind Hallam Foe and Perfect Sense, will be unveiling his father-and-son prison drama Starred up - which features This Is England star Jack O’Connell - at Toronto.

And a third Toronto world premiere will be Sunshine on Leith, the big-screen adaptation of the musical inspired by the songs of The Proclaimers, which was shot in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the last year. Peter Mullan, Paul Brannigan and Jane Horrocks are among those in the cast.

Also screening at the festival will be Under The Skin, in which Scarlett Jonannson plays an alien praying on male hitch-hikers in the Scottish Highlands, although it will get its world premiere at Venice shortly before it screens in Toronto.

A spokeswoman for Creative Scotland said: “Congratulations to all those involved with the four very different and equally extraordinary films premiering at Venice and Toronto film festivals this year.

“Scotland’s film-making talent, both on and off-screen, continues to deliver world class cinema.”

A statement from The Proclaimers said: “We think the movie is fantastic and are very proud to be associated with it and to have so many our songs featured. The performances are all first class and it has been great to have so many exceptionally talented people involved in its creation.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from 5-15 September.