THE sequel to the critically-acclaimed Glasgow-set movie, Red Road, has begun principal photography, again in the city, under the supervision of local producers, Sigma Films.
Rounding up Donkeys is the second of what will be a trilogy of movies from Sigma and co-producers, Denmark-based Zentropa. It is to star James Cosmo, Brian Pettifer, Kate Dickie and Martin Compston.
The trilogy, called Advance Party, is a collaboration involving Sigma’s Gillian Berrie and Zentropa’s Sisse Graum Jorgense and Lars Von Trier. Principle photography began on Friday and is expected to last five weeks, in and around Glasgow. Written by Colin McLaren, the film will be, like Red Road, made on a relatively modest budget.
Advance Party is about taking on talented first-time feature film directors and requiring them to work to ‘advance party’ rules. Red Road’s debutant director was Andrea Arnold. This time, the new director is Morag McKinnon.
The rules read: “The scripts can take their starting point in one or more characters or they may be subjected to an external drama. The characters can also participate in a form that is governed primarily by neither characters nor plot.
“The films take place in Scotland but apart from that the writers are free to place them anywhere according to geography, social setting or ethnic background. Their back-stories can be expanded, family relations can be created between them, they can be given habits good or bad, and secondary characters can be added if it is proper for the individual film.
“The interpersonal relationships of the characters differ from film to film and they may be weighted differently as major or minor characters. The development of the characters in each story or genre does not affect the other scripts.
“All of the characters must appear in all of the films.”
Two years ago, Red Road won the Prix du Jury at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Rounding up Donkeys is being described as “a bittersweet, tragicomic, tale of making amends, as well as an arse of things”. Alfred Patterson – played by Cosmo – learns of his impending death and decides it’s time to make amends with his estranged daughter and her precocious 12 year-old.
Director of photography is Lol Crawley. Funding is coming from the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund, Scottish Screen, Limelight, the Danish Film Institute and Glasgow Film Office. Trust Film Sales are handling international sales.
Sigma Films was the company behind David Mackenzie’s Hallam Foe.
