Ten years after Scottish producer Chris Young broke UK theatrical box office records with The Inbetweeners Movie, shooting is about to begin on his company’s latest film, Silent Roar.
The filming of Silent Roar – a contemporary adolescent tale of surfing, sex and Hellfire set on a Hebridean island – will kick-off in Uig on the Isle of Lewis on Monday September 6 and is expected to last six weeks.
It will be the first feature from Scottish writer and director Johnny Barrington, who drew inspiration from his childhood spent on the Isle of Skye.
“Silent Roar is about the weird and wild things people do with their grief. It is inspired by recent life events and my childhood, all mixed up so nobody would ever recognise it,” said Johnny.
The film stars newcomers Louis McCartney as Dondo, a young surfer struggling to accept his father has died in a fishing accident, and Ella Lily Hyland as Sas, a high achiever dreaming of escape.
Stage veteran Mark Lockyer will take on the role of Paddy, a charismatic maverick preacher who recently returned to the island.
The exciting new film is backed by BBC Film with production and development funding, with British Film Institute (BFI) and Screen Scotland both awarding funds from the National Lottery.
Chris Young previously produced Johnny Barrington’s award-winning short Tumult, which was supported by Creative Scotland and was nominated for a Bafta after having its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Young also runs the Young Films Foundation on the Isle of Skye, which is a talent development scheme that aims to find and aid a new generation of Scottish screenwriting talent.
The producer said: “It’s a film which captures the unique landscape of the Hebrides as a backdrop to a story which celebrates the joy and the pain of adolescence in the context of surfing.
“Audiences have already enjoyed Johnny Barrington’s unique view of the world, combining real pathos with unexpected humour and a taste for the sublime.
“Having lived here for over 20 years, I’ve longed to find a film that can express the power and the glory of this landscape and its people, and Silent Roar is that film.
“Our ambition greatly exceeds our budget but, as I discovered with The Inbetweeners, the key to success lies in the strength of the script, the director and the actors and I’m confident that we have found that magical combination here.”
Silent Roar is to be released in cinemas next year.