Dutch filmmakers make movie set on two of Scotland's greatest trails
The film – called The North – has been created by the team at Tuesday Studio and follows a pair of old friends as they tackle the West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail, which in total cover well over 300 miles.
The two routes link up, with the West Highland Way going from Milngavie to Fort William, and the unmarked Cape Wrath Trail going from Fort William up to Cape Wrath – the most north westerly point of Scotland.
The Tuesday Studio team filmed back in August last year after director Bart Schrijver hiked most of the route before getting injured in the previous April.
READ MORE: Film set during Highland Clearances wows at Cannes Film Festival
The fictional story follows the two friends who have not seen each other for a decade as they attempt to reconnect through nature, but challenges crop up along the way which test their friendship and force them to confront hard truths from their past.
Speaking exclusively to The National, Schrijver said visiting Scotland had always been an ambition after producing Tuesday Studio's first film in Norway.
He said he loved how close to nature the crew and actors were able to get and how the constantly changing conditions and scenery had a huge impact on the film and story.
'Going to Scotland was always a dream,' he said.
'I didn't know anything about the Highlands but I've always thought it would be a nice place to go. One of the magical things for me is you can put your tent almost anywhere.
'The freedom to roam makes it so you can enjoy nature in such a beautiful way where you can just set up your tent in the middle of nowhere and really experience what it's like to be by yourself.
'It's beautiful and what I liked about it was when I was there in April it was such a different trail to when I was there in August. The weather, the surroundings, the colours, are so different in every season and that's very magical.'
While Schrijver wrote a script for the film, he said the unpredictability of being out in nature meant they did not always stick to the plan, giving the film a unique authenticity.
(Image: Katie Taylor) 'One of the beautiful things about filming this way is we start at the beginning of the trail, that's also the beginning of the film, and we film the whole film chronologically while we go through the landscape.
'That means a lot of stuff changes. If you read the script now and watch the film, a lot of things have changed because during filming the characters grow and we come across locations that are beautiful and we decide to film a scene there, so instead of trying to have a script and execute it exactly as it is, because in nature that's impossible, we incorporate it in the film which I hope it gives it authenticity.
'When the actors are tired, we just walked up a mountain, they're actually tired!'
The six-person crew – two actors, one sound recordist, a camera operator, a documentarian and Schrijver – hiked the whole way with backpack weights of up to 33kg, with no fancy hotels or catering services on route, just tents and the elements.
The experience brought the team together in ways they hadn't experienced before, Schrijver said.
READ MORE: Skerryvore mark 20 years with Floors Castle gig and new music for global fans
'It was so interesting to have this microcosm of people that you have to live with,' he said.
'You are sleeping in tents and you are so dependent on each other. The way you get closer to each other [is amazing]. There was one night that there was so much wind that we almost got blown off the mountain, and one of the tents broke, and one of the actors didn't sleep at all. Those days are the worst but afterwards when we talk about it we can't help but laugh.'
Bart Harder (right) and Carles Pulido (left) in The North (Image: Tuesday Studio) Founded in 2021, Tuesday Studio has a central goal of creating independent cinema about nature and the team are pursuing a more unusual way of funding their filming.
Instead of going down the classical route of striking a deal with a distributor and getting it into cinemas, the team work with branded partners who can make use of the extensive footage the crew capture to promote their company.
As co-founder Arnold Janssen explains: 'We create content for them on the trail, and with that money we can pay for our film. But we get paid nothing. We only focus on getting the film out there.
'If this goes well, we can show independent filmmakers they don't need to be dependent on streamers or film funds if they say no, there is another way. It will be hard, but you can do it.'
Tuesday Studio films are now being sold worldwide via the company's website. People will be able to buy The North when it is released on Saturday, May 31, right here.
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