Stephen McCole as Lord Elgin, one of three roles he plays in Black Watch
Debates over the Iraq war have raged now for 10 years, and don't looking like stopping any time soon.
The award-winning Black Watch, returning to Glasgow's SECC, moves
beyond the politics, to look at the true story of the Scottish boys on
the frontline and the history of their now disbanded regiment.
The latest production of the award-winning drama opens next Thursday,
and Glasgow actor Stephen McCole, who plays three parts, including
First Minister Alex Salmond, said the cast were looking forward to
bringing the show home to Scotland.
He said: "It is definitely more nervous performing at home.
"A lot of the boys have done it in the SECC before and they are like,
'it is crazy, the Scottish audiences really get behind it, they are
there with you every second of the way'. It also means the boys get to
do it in a really strong Scottish accent.
"I don't get to do a strong Scottish accent at any point, unless you count Alex Salmond, which is not really that strong.
"I'm looking forward to doing it at home, it is nerve-racking but it should be great, it should be fun."
Read more at Evening Times
A new trailer and poster have been released for Martin Compston’s next film, The Wee Man, based on the life of notorious Glasgow gangster, Paul Ferris.
The film follows Paul (Compston) as he grows up an ordinary young kid in the notorious area of Blackhill, Glasgow and the journey through his teenage years to manhood.
The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just eleven, Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying. The film charts the way in which Paul was bullied as a child, and whose road to crime came as a reaction against the monsters of his youth.
Patrick Bergin, John Hannah, Denis Lawson, Lorna McMonagle, Stephen McCole and Rita Tushingham co-star.
Source: Reel Scotland
There's also a glimpse of Daniel Kerr, who plays the young Paul.
The Wee Man trailer offers glimpse of Martin Compston as Paul Ferris
New film The Wee Man is based on the well documented
life story of reformed Glaswegian gangster Paul Ferris – and its first
released trailer reveals more about what audiences can expect from the
gritty true-life tale.
With a Scottish cast led by Martin Compston (The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, Sweet Sixteen), the film features John Hannah (The Mummy Trilogy, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Spartacus), Denis Lawson (Perfect Sense, Star Wars Trilogy), Lorna Mcmonagle (Lip Service), Clare Grogan (Gregory's Girl) and Stephen McCole (Neds).
The Wee Man follows Paul (Compston) growing up as an ordinary
young kid with hardworking parents in Blackhill, Glasgow, and follows
the journey through his teenage years to manhood. The film has been
produced by Carnaby International Productions (Rise Of The Footsoldier, A Lonely Place To Die).
The plot description is as follows: “The story begins in the sixties.
At the age of just eleven, Paul has already learned that life on the
street is tough. Everybody knows his place. Poverty breeds corruption,
crime, violence and bullying. Blackhill was the most notorious area of
all.
“The film charts the way in which Paul was bullied as a child, and
whose road to crime came as a reaction against the monsters of his
youth. Paul worked for feared gangland boss Arthur Thompson Snr (Patrick
Bergin) and rose to power in Glasgow's murky underworld in the late 80s
and early 90s. In 1991 he was charged with the murder of Arthur 'Fat
Boy' Thompson Jr (Stephen McCole), son of Arthur.
“Ferris sparked a furore when he was given a hero's reception outside
the High Court and walked free after a not-proven verdict, following
one of Scotland's longest murder trials. He was jailed for gun-running
in 1998, and on his release in 2002 turned his back on his former
gangster life and vowed to go straight, determined to teach others how
to avoid a life of crime.”
Source: STV
The Wee Man is released in selected UK cinemas on January 18, 2013.
The Wee Man: Paul Ferris film set for cinema release in January
A hard-hitting feature film about the life of Glasgow
gangland figure Paul Ferris is set to get a cinema release.
The Wee Man, which has a star-studded cast, will get a world première in Glasgow in January shortly before it hits screens nationwide.
Martin Compston, who shot to fame as a teenager in the Ken
Loach drama Sweet Sixteen, has landed the key role of Ferris. John Hannah will play Ferris’s nemesis, Tam McGraw, in the
film, which has been made and is being distributed by London-based Carnaby
International.
The film, scheduled for release on January 13, was famously
shot in London due to problems securing permission to film in Ferris’s home
city from Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police.
It has been directed by Ray Burdis, who also made The Krays
movie, with other stars including Star Wars actor Denis Lawson, Comfort and
Joy’s Clare Grogan, and Stephen McCole, one of the stars of Neds.
The film charts the life of Ferris from his childhood in
1960s Glasgow and his rise through what the film-makers describe as the city’s
“murky underworld.”
A spokeswoman for Carnaby International said: “The Wee Man
follows Paul growing up an ordinary young kid with decent, hardworking parents
in the notorious area of Blackhill, Glasgow and the journey through his teenage
years to manhood.
“The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just 11,
Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his
place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying.”
Ferris was famously cleared of murdering Arthur “Fat Boy”
Thompson in 1992 after a jury delivered a not-proven verdict, but was later
jailed after being found guilty of gun-running.
The film is based on the autobiography of Ferris, written
after his release from jail in 2002.
The Crews is now available online, as is Sandwich, the short film on which it was based.
Filmed in Glasgow, The Crews follows the exploits of two seasoned underworld figures Tommy Granger (Robert Harrison) and Mick Turner (Jim Sweeney) and the police who are trying to convict them.
The series features cameos from renowned Scottish actors David Hayman and Stephen McCole, and World Snooker Champion John Higgins.
Genesis Film Sales is in
Cannes with The Wee Man, a new crime thriller that has a market screening today
(16 May).
The film is based on the
true story of Glaswegian gangster Paul Ferris.
John Hannah (Four
Weddings and a Funeral) and Martin Compston (The Disappearance of
Alice Creed) lead the cast, which also includes Rita Tushingham, Stephen
McCole, Patrick Bergin, Clare Grogan and Dennis Lawson.
Ray Burdis (The Krays)
directs.
Ferris described as ‘the
most feared man in Glasgow,’ was brought up in the 1960s on the notorious Black
Hill estate before turning to a life of crime.
Ian Hall, CEO of
Genesis, said: “We are very proud of our Cannes slate this year, and we expect
this to be our strongest market to date. We are especially excited to be premièring The Wee Man which tells a great, gritty British story with fantastic
performances.”
The nominations for the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2009 were announced today.
In the Acting in Film category Peter Capaldi is nominated for In The Loop as is Stephen McCole for Crying with Laughter.
In the Acting in TV - Male category David Tennant has been nominated for Doctor Who, Robert Carlyle for The Unloved, and Bill Patterson for Spanish Flu - The Forgotten Fallen.
In addition to Peter Capaldi's nomination, In The Loop has nominations for director Armando Ianucci and writers Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, and Armando Ianucci.
Dougray Scott's New Town Killers also received three nominations for best feature film, best director (Richard Jobson), and best actor (James Pearsons).
Crying with Laughter is also nominated for best feature film and best writing.
BAFTA Scotland Awards will be web-cast, the full awards will be streamed live on the internet, giving people outside of Scotland the chance to watch. You can watch the at www.baftascotland.co.uk when the winners are announced on Sunday, November 8 at the Glasgow Science Centre. Go here for the full list of nominees.
