Keep an eye on the roofs and treetops of Peebles and Edinburgh for the next six weeks. Principal photography on director David Mackenzie’s fourth feature Hallam Foe starts on Monday March 27.
Starring Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell, Hallam Foe is based on the novel of the same name by local author Peter Jinks. It’s the story of a teenage misfit’s struggle to come to terms with his mother’s death, amid suspicions that his stepmother was somehow involved. After a confrontation, Hallam runs away to Edinburgh, where he lives ferally on the rooftops and spies on the world below in an effort to learn how to join it.
Following the success of films including Ewan McGregor starrer Young Adam, Hallam Foe will be the third feature Mackenzie has shot in Scotland and he admitted to being "delighted, that it’s not a period piece".
Hallam Foe looks to be a more colourful and uplifting work than his previous movies, although the unpredictable Scottish weather may prove challenging as they’re on a strict schedule to keep within the £3.1 million budget.
Mackenzie will also be taking advantage of the new Film City studio in Govan. Producer Gillian Berrie was the driving force behind this facility and it’s due to launch officially in autumn 2006.
For more details about the film visit sigmafilms.com
You can see Bell's costar Sophia Myles in two very different films out this month: Tristan & Isolde and Art School Confidential. Ciaran Hinds will next be on screen as an FBI agent in Miami Vice, and Jamie Bell has a short (by Clint Eastwood) out in August.
