(Image: Supplied)
A 13-minute musical short written and directed by Scottish composer and filmmaker Michael Bruce has officially qualified for consideration for the 99th Academy Awards.
Set within the landscape and culture of the Hebrides, Kiloran Bay stars Alan Cumming and Jack Wolfe, alongside Stuart Thompson, Giles Terera, David Fynn and David Hayman.
The film follows a gay man who returns to his hometown after decades away to attend a wedding ceilidh. As the celebrations unfold, he is forced to confront the memories of a painful past he has spent a lifetime avoiding.
Kiloran Bay explores themes of LGBTQ+ identity, queer joy, shame, longing and self-acceptance. At its centre is a story about returning home, confronting who you once were and finding the freedom to live truthfully.
For Michael Bruce, Kiloran Bay marks his debut as a writer and director for film following a career spanning theatre and screen as a composer and lyricist. His work has included original scores and songs for Warner Bros, Netflix, PBS, Sky Arts, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as the West End and Broadway.
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Bruce's screen credits include the original songs for Netflix’s Hard Cell, the score and songs for* The Nan Movieand the soundtrack for Romeo & Juliet*, starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor. He trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and was formerly Composer-in-Residence at the Donmar Warehouse.
The film is produced by Rebecca Wolff, Beth Levison and David Harwood. Wolff, founder of Grasp The Nettle Films, has produced acclaimed projects including Grand Theft Hamlet, while Levison’s producing credits include the Academy Award-nominated documentary short The Martha Mitchell Effect. Harwood, of Cowboy Films, has worked across productions including the final series of BAFTA-winning Top Boy and has produced short films that have screened internationally.
The ensemble brings together an accomplished group of screen and theatre performers. Alan Cumming, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning actor, Emmy-winning host and producer, and Scottish BAFTA recipient, leads the film alongside Jack Wolfe, an Olivier Award-nominated actor recently making his Broadway debut in Hadestown. Stuart Thompson, whose credits include* The Romansat the Almeida and SAS Rogue Heroes*, joins Giles Terera, the Olivier Award-winning star of* Hamilton*, whose extensive theatre work includes the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Young Vic and Royal Shakespeare Company. David Fynn and renowned Scottish actor David Hayman complete the principal ensemble, with Hayman also bringing extensive screen, theatre and directing experience to the production.
Produced by Grasp The Nettle Films and Hazel Pictures, in association with Cowboy Films, MB Studios and Eric Kuhn Productions, Kiloran Bay was shot on location in Glasgow and East Lothian.
Speaking exclusively to The Herald, writer and director Michael Bruce said: "I’m absolutely thrilled that Kiloran Bay has qualified for Oscar consideration. It’s a deeply personal musical film, but it’s also about sharing Scottish tradition and queer joy with the world. I’ve always believed that when emotion becomes too great to speak, we should sing, and when it’s too great to sing, we should dance. That spirit runs through the film, and I’m incredibly proud that this little Scottish story is finding audiences far beyond where it began."