THE biggest budget feature film ever to be produced in Scotland by home-grown talent received its Scottish premiere in Edinburgh last night.

The red carpet was rolled outside the Vue Omni for the film’s star Chris Pine and many of the cast and crew.

Outlaw King was directed by one of Scotland’s foremost filmmakers, David Mackenzie and was developed and produced by Gillian Berrie of Sigma Films, with a screenplay by Bash Doran, Mackenzie and emerging Scottish writer, James MacInnes.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sent the production this message: “Outlaw King brings the story of one of Scotland’s most well-known figures to life and it is fantastic to see this film developed and produced with top Scottish creative talent.

“Thanks to Creative Scotland funding we were able to encourage Outlaw King to film and base its production here, which has helped one of Scotland’s most prolific production companies build an important relationship with Netflix and given trainees an incredible start in the industry. As the largest feature film to be made here to date, Outlaw King shows we have the stories, locations, skills and support to make world-class productions in Scotland.”

The production was set and shot entirely in Scotland, and employed a large number of Scottish-based craft and technical talent and utilised more than 45 different locations including Craigmillar Castle (Edinburgh), Linlithgow Palace, Berwick Bridge, Talisker (Skye), Glencoe, Doune Castle, Mugdock Country Park (Milngavie), Coral Beach (Skye) and the Quiraing (Skye).

Outlaw King has also hosted Scotland’s biggest ever single film trainee initiative. Some 35 trainees have experienced working across the creative, technical and business areas of the production. Dedicated to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers, the programme reflects the aims of valuable similar initiatives taking place across Scotland working to develop a continuous flow of skilled and creatively ambitious craft and technical crew.

The film has received National Lottery and Scottish Government support of £1 million through Screen Scotland’s Development and Production Fund and Production Growth Fund.

Isabel Davis of Screen Scotland said: “We are enormously excited to see David Mackenzie’s magnificent Outlaw King receive its Scottish premiere, before its Netflix release in 193 countries around the world.

“It’s an epic achievement for David, producer Gillian Berrie and all involved, attesting to the ambition and talent of our filmmakers.

“Outlaw King’s exploration of the life of Robert the Bruce will provide audiences around the world with a chance to engage with Scotland’s rich history, and to fall in love with her breathtaking landscape.

“We’re proud to have supported Outlaw King, a film that was born and raised in Scotland, from its early development through to production with funding from the National Lottery and Scottish Government.”