Private Project

Solstice

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful coastal West Highlands of Scotland, Solstice is a romantic drama with an environmental heart about saving our seas from plastic pollution and finding love.

A captivating dream on Midsummer’s Night leaves a lasting impression on young scientist Sandy (James Kane) and inspires him to come up with an idea to help reduce marine pollution. So when he meets local girl Mia (Chelsea Grace) and they discover a mutual love of the sea, together they take action to try and stop Mia’s family polluting the environment with plastic packaging. It is whilst putting up protest banners at the Solstice Festival - and when Sandy realises Mia may just be the girl of his dreams - that the plot takes a dramatic twist, leaving the strong-willed Mia uncharacteristically vulnerable and Sandy with a mission. Not all heroes wear capes, some wear waders...

  • James Kane
    Director
  • Anna Angelini
    Writer
  • James Kane
    Producer
  • Anna Angelini
    Producer
  • James Kane
    Key Cast
    "Sandy Thomson"
  • Chelsea Grace
    Key Cast
    "Mia MacDonald/Mia Marina"
  • Alec Westwood
    Key Cast
    "Eric MacDonald"
  • Niamh O'Donnell
    Key Cast
    "Eilidh MacGregor"
  • Offir Limacher
    Key Cast
    "Demetrius Adopoulos"
  • Laura MacDougall
    Key Cast
    "Pucker"
  • Andrew Gray
    Key Cast
    "Kingo"
  • Dante Kane
    Key Cast
    "Cammy MacLeod"
  • Paul James
    Key Cast
    "Kenny MacLeod"
  • Patrick Rooney
    Director of Photography
  • Craig Andrew Robertson
    Editor
  • Cameron Collie
    Composer
  • Stuart Abercrombie
    Sound Editor
  • Stuart Abercrombie
    Location Sound Recordist
  • Sophie Whiteford
    Location Sound Recordist
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family, Environmental, Scottish, Independent, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 11 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 20, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - James Kane

James makes his directorial début in Solstice. As an experienced performer, James wanted to explore the opportunity to gain more creative control and to manage a production as Director and Producer. In order to get the project off the ground, James was delighted to be Awarded the Time to Shine Nurturing Talent Fund by Creative Scotland, Young Scot and Screen Scotland.
With a clear creative vision for this film and a true appreciation of the beautiful locations in Argyll where he grew up, James assembled a talented and equally dedicated creative team.
Drawing on his own acting experience to bring out strong performances from the cast, he enjoyed the collaborative process and was determined to run an enjoyable film set where each person was able to showcase their creativity and skills.
Using the stunning scenery of Scotland’s west coast as a backdrop, Solstice was an ambitious project but James was determined to bring this story to life.
This was not James’ first experience of being involved in a challenging screen project. At the tender age of just 15, James had an idea to interview the Scottish political leaders so set about contacting them to make it happen. Much organisation and a great deal of hard work resulted in him presenting a documentary with BBC Scotland, broadcast under the umbrella of BBC Generation 2014 with which he was involved for a year. James collaborated with seasoned Producers Holly Ritchie and Eleanor Plackett to put together the documentary and online content which was broadcast on television and online worldwide. He is the youngest person to have taken a film crew and conducted one-to-one interviews with Scottish political leaders in a single day at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. It is this level of determination that continues to drive James.

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Director Statement

“Solstice has been a demanding but highly creative and very enjoyable project. I have learned a great deal and witnessed first-hand the many and varied talents of my fellow cast and crew. The skills, passion and dedication that we have all brought to the table has been enlightening. Taking on a project of this size and complexity was no mean feat but, despite the setbacks and challenges, from start to post this has been a great film to create. I’m really looking forward to bringing this to audiences around the world so we can showcase the talents of Scottish-trained young creatives.”