ASKED if she voted for Brexit, Scots author AL Kennedy says she may have suicidal tendencies but they’re not that strong.

Now living down south in a “toxic broth” of xenophobia and jingoism, she’s looking forward to “coming home” for the UK premiere of the first film to be made of one of her books – a film she says might not have been made post-Brexit.

Original Bliss is a German language adaptation of her novella of the same name and is showing at the Glasgow Film Festival tomorrow.

“It was made with a whole bundle of European money – but with a UK starting point. How popular that will be after Brexit I don’t know,” said Kennedy. “Brexit will kill off what is left of the British film industry as far as bundles of EU money goes. If you look at the producer credits of any British film there will be money from a whole lot of EU countries – that’s in limbo now and most likely gone in the long term.”

Kennedy, who was on set in Germany as the film was being made, says the Germans’ reaction to the UK leaving the EU is one of “utter incredulity”.

“They have had real Nazis, they have been through having a poisonous media, they have seen it all and done it all,” she said. “The only thing in central Berlin still standing after the war was the Swiss Embassy and that was an accident. The city was reduced to gravel.

“The Germans remember where demagogues lead you – to gravel. They have been staring at us with dropped jaws since the Iraq war. They can’t believe the level of our stupidity.”

One positive to come out of it, Kennedy says, is that Germans now better understand Scotland’s position.

“They get what Scotland is and what Nicola Sturgeon is trying to do. Generally in Europe they see her as an intelligent, hard-working politician. The opinion on Cameron was unimpressed, basically. God knows what they think of May. She only got the job because none of the men wanted it now.”

As a result of Brexit, Kennedy believes a second independence referendum for Scotland is inevitable.

“I don’t have a vote because I don’t live in Scotland but I would love to have one. I know things have got worse in Scotland but come and live down here – you’ve no idea how much the SNP have protected you from the complete annihilation of the sick and the poor. The NHS in England is run into the ground and private health care has no competition so it’s also shit. You can pay £700 or £800 just for a diagnosis. Rich or poor – people are scared.

“Yes it’s got worse in Scotland, but look at how much the budget has been cut and how well they are dealing with that. Plus you are not living in a toxic broth – there are wingnut reptiles, as in every country, but they’re in a dark corner and the government isn’t letting them come out and run the agenda. It is so toxic down here.

She added: “And the UK voted for something in a non binding plebiscite but despite less than 37 per cent of total voters declaring for Brexit – and all the lies – here we go.”

As well as bringing an excuse to take a trip north, Kennedy is very happy the film is to be shown at GFF after its release in Germany where it garnered positive reviews.

It is perhaps surprising it is the first film of one of her books, particularly as there has been interest in her writing from various film companies over the last 20 years.

The rights, in fact, were bought for So I Am Glad but no film has ever been made.

Ironically, just after the rights for Original Bliss were sold for the German production an American company expressed interest, even though it is “a disturbing book about disturbing things”, according to Kennedy.

The book is well known in Germany, being the first one of Kennedy’s to be translated into German.

“It’s the right length for a film because it is a novella and only has three major roles so it was quite cheap to make. This version is very faithful to my story and they’ve found a good way of changing something set in Scotland to a Germany context.”

Original Bliss premiered at the Munich Film Festival. It stars The Lives of Others’ co-stars Martina Gedeck and The White Ribbon’s Ulrich Tukur. Sven Taddicken directed.

The film’s themes include sexual obsession, loneliness and the props of religion and self-help books.

It tells the tale of Helene who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a man prone to bouts of violent rage. Plagued by insomnia, Helene finds religion is no longer a comfort and seeks solace instead from popular psychologist Eduard Glück (his surname means happiness in German) who has his own secrets.

Also starring Johannes Krisch, the film has been described as “a wise, darkly comic reflection on love, hope and the straitjacket of our own imperfections”.

The UK premiere of Original Bliss is on February 19 and 21 at GFF. Director Sven Taddicken and author AL Kennedy will be present at the screening on Sunday. Tickets are available from the GFF website: glasgowfilm.org/glasgow-film-festival