Saoirse Ronan has returned to Orkney to celebrate her new film which is set on the island.
The Irish actress attended the premiere of “The Outrun” at The Phoenix Cinema in Kirkwall on Saturday night.
The upcoming release, based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir, was filmed on the mainland and on Papay back in 2022.
The best-selling book, also titled “The Outrun”, describes Liptrot’s return to her home island to rehabilitate after becoming an alcoholic in London.
Bringing the remarkable story to the big screen has been years in the making – and even involved the Irish actress learning lambing to immerse herself in the role of Rona.
Saoirse Ronan returns to Orkney
“The Outrun” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and has been shown at special screening across the UK ahead of its cinema release on Friday, September 27.
The film’s star was joined by writer Liptrot and producer, Dominic Norris, who shared an introduction with the audience before the screening.
Ronan, who was also a producer on the project alongside her husband Jack Lowden, thanked Orkney for the warm welcome the cast and crew received during filming.
Victoria Rhodes, manager of Phoenix Cinema, said: “The Outrun is the film we have been asked most about over the past year, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to show it in our cinema.
“Like many people in Orkney, and around the world, I’ve been a fan of Amy’s book since it was published in 2016 and I can’t wait to see this interpretation of her remarkable story on the big screen.”
Local faces appear in new film
Speaking at the Dublin premiere last week, Ronan said she adopted a “milder, watered down” version of the Orkney accent in the film.
“The Outrun” also marks the Little Woman and Lady Bird actress’s first time working as a producer,
She told RTÉ News: “We’re very passionate about Scotland, we’re very passionate about Scottish and Irish stories and I hadn’t necessarily wanted to produce before but when I read Amy’s book, it felt like something incredibly personal to me.
“So, I wanted to be able to shape it creatively and help give it the life I thought it deserved.”
The film’s crews said they also wanted Orkney residents to “feel a sense of ownership” over the story as it was filmed in their communities.
While Ronan leads the cast, a few local faces will also appear on the big screen.
They include Kirkwall youngster Freya Evans, who was nine at the time of filming, appearing as young Rona.
Conversation