Films shot in Fife feature in new ‘made in Scotland’ movie guide

It has been produced by Visit Scotland and details 150m films shot entirely, or partially, in Scotland, and over 100 locations across the country.

The Kingdom’s four entries include the classic Chariots of Fire which features the iconic slow motion run across the West Sands in St Andrews to Vangelis’ classic score.

It also celebrates the 2001 film A Shot at Glory 2001 which featured the harbour in Crail among its locations. The film taps into the great Scottish Cup upsets of the past.

The 2013 release of the The Railway Man saw Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman come to St Monans, while St Andrews was the obvious setting for Tommy’s Honour, the 2017 movie which told the story of Tom Morris, the first true superstar of golf, Tom Morris including his greatest legacy, creating the firstt and 18th holes of the Old Course.

The new-look guide, Set in Scotland, was launched by Scottish acting legend, James Cosmo. The star of iconic Scottish films, Highlander, Braveheart and Trainspotting, and TV fantasy series, Game of Thrones, has penned a foreword to the national tourism organisation’s revamped guidebook.

Screen tourism – or set-jetting – is a global trend in which film fans are inspired to visit a location after seeing it on screen. It comes in the form of visiting the exact film location or providing the general motivation to book a holiday to the destination.

VisitScotland hopes it will offer further inspiration for visitors to explore across the regions, while providing a resource for the industry to create new experiences as part of Scotland's national strategy to rebuild the visitor economy and ensure sustainable tourism thrives.

Set in Scotland covers the last 90 years, from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 version of The 39 Steps, in which UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Forth Bridge, appears, to The Road Dance, which was filmed on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides during the pandemic and released in May.

As part of the redesign, the guide labels each film by genre, features QR codes with links to film themed content on visitscotland.com, and contains a new section, Monarchs of the Glens, which focuses on those films linked to Scotland’s kings and queens, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the Oscar-winning The Queen.

In his foreword, James Cosmo wrote: “Throughout my career I have been privileged enough to be involved in many [films] that have made a real connection with audiences worldwide. People still come up to me while in Scotland and tell me they are here because they watched Scottish films such as Braveheart or Highlander.

“And what is wonderful, is that the films are only the starting point. They then form a strong connection with the real country – it may be because of their ancestors or the feeling they get while they’re here. That stays with them.”

Caroline Warburton, VisitScotland regional leadership director, said: “It’s clear to see why Fife has long been a popular choice for film scouts looking to capture our amazing scenery, heritage and culture for global audiences.

“The region has some spectacular locations but also a fascinating history that has also influenced some of the stories we’ve enjoyed on screen.”