THE Edinburgh Film Festival got started on Thursday evening with the UK premiere of The Outrun – starring Oscar-winning actress Saoirse Ronan.
Set in the Orkney Islands, the film was met with critical acclaim following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Here’s all you need to know.
What is The Outrun?
The Outrun is based on a 2016 memoir by Amy Liptrot, which documents her experience recovering from alcoholism in her childhood home in Orkney.
It was first given the green light for the big screen back in 2022 and the UK premiere of the film was held in Edinburgh on Thursday night.
"To be able to premiere our film here, which is so Scottish in its identity... it was very important to us that it came here first"
— Forth 1 News (@Forth1News) August 16, 2024
Saoirse Ronan at the @edfilmfest UK Premiere of #TheOutrun in Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/GXZe6UOi4W
Ronan said it was “very special” to attend and “very important” that the film came to Scotland first.
The four-time Oscar nominee also produced the film along with her husband – Scottish actor Jack Lowden.
Who is Amy Liptrot?
Liptrot is a Scottish journalist and author and, as well as writing her memoir, she also wrote the screenplay for the film alongside Nora Fingscheidt, who is also the film's director.
However, while the film is based on her book, Ronan’s character is named Rona.
The Outrun received a number of awards following its release, including the Wainwright Prize – created to showcase the “growing genre of nature-writing” and to encourage “exploration of the outdoors to all readers”.
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Following the publication of The Outrun, Liptrot also released The Instant, which focuses on time she spent in Berlin.
Could The Outrun be nominated for Oscars?
There’s still a little while to go before the nominations for next year’s Oscars will be announced, although The Outrun has been tipped for success.
The New York Post and IndieWire are among the websites to have suggested the film has entered the “Oscar race”.
Ronan has previously been nominated for an Oscar on four occasions, including in the Best Supporting Actress category for Atonement when she was just 13-years-old.
Following this, she has also received nominations in the Best Actress category for the films Brooklyn, Lady Bird and Little Women.
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