Mubi and Charades have boarded the debut feature from Scottish filmmaker, Seán Dunn.
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford stars Peter Mullan (Ozark, Tyrannosaur), Gayle Rankin (The Greatest Showman), Jakob Oftebro (Hamilton), Sid Sagar (Belfast) and Lewis MacDougall (A Monster Calls).
Filmed on location in Scotland, it was produced by Alex Polunin for Ossian Pictures, Scott Macaulay for Forensic Films and Jennifer Monks for The Fold, and developed with BBC Film who co-financed the project alongside BFI Film Fund, BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland.
Kenneth (Peter Mullan) works in the Arberloch visitors centre as a tour guide, dressing up as the town’s most notable historical figure, Sir Douglas Weatherford, an 18th century philosopher and inventor who Kenneth proudly claims as his ancestor. When the village becomes the base of a big-budget fantasy TV show, The White Stag of Emberfell, the visitor centre is transformed into an Emberfell fan experience.
With the show’s costumed fans descending on the town, Kenneth’s sanity crumbles as the traditions he holds dear are casually dismissed — a mental decline his daughter Anna (Gayle Rankin) attributes to grief over the loss of his wife. Kenneth’s crisis takes an even darker turn when his ire becomes fixated on the show’s handsome star, Oscar Sorenson (Jakob Oftebro).
It’s described as a dark comedy exploring the thin line between history and fantasy.
Mubi will release the film to cinemas in the UK and Ireland, with France’s Charades handling international sales.
“We’ve been impressed with Sean’s previous work in his short movies. The precise and special tone he achieves, which perfectly captures dark comedy, is rare to find,” said Carole Baraton, co-founder of Charades.
“We trust that Sir Douglas will deliver perfectly in that vein, especially with the support of the amazing Peter Mullan.”
