A young Aberdeenshire actor and film-maker has shared his inspiring story about making his first film.
Antoni McMillan has already worked in major productions such as Batgirl, Indiana Jones or Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
But the 27-year-old felt it was time to explore his creative side with the production of his own movie.
He is about to finish shooting ‘The Sands of Redemption’, a comedy and crime thriller he wrote and produced and in which he plays the main character.
Filmed in the Granite City and Spain, the feature movie is full of Aberdeen talent with actress Eve Martin also starring and cinematographer Louis Martin.
Set for release this year, the film will be submitted to various film festivals.
Meanwhile, Mr McMillan is already working on his next project, to be filmed almost entirely in Aberdeen in the hope of bringing more opportunities to the city.
From sleeping in a van to working in major productions
Things were not always smooth for Mr McMillan, who got into the film industry thanks to an inspiring secondary school teacher.
“I went to Westhill Academy, and I had a great drama teacher, Ms Wheeler; without her I wouldn’t be here,” he told The P&J.
After school, he was accepted for a film and acting course at the North East Scotland College.
He then landed roles in productions such as BBC River City and BBC Clique.
“It felt like there was momentum growing but then covid hit and the industry completely died,” he explained.
However, the aspiring actor finally managed to land a role as a dancer for a film in Glasgow, where he made a contact who offered him a job as a runner in a feature film that was being made in Stirling.
He explained: “I said great let’s go for it. I didn’t even know what a runner was.
“At the time I was really struggling for money, so I didn’t even have accommodation.
“I slept in the back of a van. It was a really good shoot although it was hard and freezing as we were filming in January.”
But the challenging experience allowed him to build up really good contacts in the industry.
From there, he started getting job offers and landed a role as a runner in Newcastle-filmed Indiana Jones latest movie
He was then a runner in Batgirl, shot in Glasgow, and most recently in Frankenstein as Oscar Isaac’s stand-in, which he described as “an amazing experience.”
Antoni McMillan on making his first film
After taking part in several major productions, the young actor thought it was time to make his own film.
“I wanted to discover that creative journey and do the whole thing myself, so I wrote the script, produced it and also acted in” he said.
‘The Sands of Redemption’ is the story of Jeff – played by McMillan – an Aberdeen young man who realises he is in a job he does not like and in a relationship that is not working.
He decides to bail on everything and go travelling to Spain, where everything starts to go better for him until he gets in trouble with the wrong people.
As his problems continue to chase him, he is forced to confront his issues head-on.
The young film-maker said: “I hope people can relate to it. I wanted it to make it feel real. People are in jobs that they don’t enjoy and in relationships that don’t necessarily work.”
In addition to Aberdeen, the film is shot in Spain’s Murcia, Mazarron and Ibiza, places where Mr McMillan went on holiday with his family when he was a kid.
Young film-maker wants to create opportunities for Aberdeen’s film industry
Once the movie is completed in April, Mr McMillan will send the movie to several film festivals around the world.
After this first project, he intends to continue making films with a focus on his beloved home city.
He said: “My goal is to continue making films. For my next project, 90% of the movie will be filmed in Aberdeen.
“I don’t want to disclose too much about the story, but it is brilliant.
“The reason I really want to do it is because growing up, the kind of opportunities here were limited.
“I feel Aberdeen’s got so many great stories and such a great culture. I’d love to get the city promoted in that way.”
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