The true story behind one of William Shakespeare’s most celebrated works will be unveiled this week in a Moray town.
Filmmakers in Forres have completed a documentary which aims to shed new light on the history of Macbeth.
The town, which has strong links with the historical king, will host the movie’s premiere on Thursday.
The film was created in response to a big budget Hollywood adaptation of the Shakespeare play which will hit cinemas this week.
Producer Sara Brockbank and director Alex Wright were driven by an urge to convey the true story behind the one-time king of Scotland, rather than the commonly accepted version Shakespeare relates in “the Scottish play”.
Miss Brockbank said: “When we first heard about the upcoming Hollywood film we were intrigued, as we had both read Shakespeare’s version at school and were disappointed that the factual story had been lost.
“We began to think about the idea of telling the real tale of this successful and charismatic king of Scotland.”
Mr Wright added: “We knew this would be a fascinating production to make, with such a great story set against the backdrop of Macbeth’s home landscape of Moray.”
Local Macbeth expert Cameron Taylor was drafted in as adviser to the crew, and to act as onscreen narrator, and the film was shot on location across the region.
Macbeth took the throne of Scotland in 1040, after his men killed King Duncan at Bothnagowan, now Pitgaveny, near Elgin.
In Shakespeare’s play Duncan’s castle is sited in Forres, and the famous scene when the Three Witches gather to predict Macbeth’s rise and subsequent downfall is set in the town.
The premiere will be held at 7pm on Thursday evening, in Forres Town Hall.
Entry to the event will be free, although there will be a collection at the door for the Forres Heritage Trust and Film Forres charities.
Seats can be reserved by visiting www.therealmacbeth.com.