Filming has now wrapped on the debut feature of Scottish writer/director Louis Paxton. Starring Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, The Revenant, About Time), Gayle Rankin (House of the Dragon, Cabaret, The Climb), and Grant O’Rourke (Outlander), The Incomer was shot in the Scottish Highlands this summer.
Set on a remote Scottish island, the film follows siblings Isla and Sandy (Rankin and O’Rourke) who have lived a totally normal life for decades, hunting seabirds, chatting to mythic creatures and defending their isle from dreaded Incomers. Their world is upended with the arrival of Daniel (Gleeson), an awkward council worker, come to uproot them to the mainland. While Daniel brings strange new discoveries, Isla and Sandy teach the outsider the ‘ways of the gull’. Together, the trio are forced to confront the truth about their respective isolation.
The cast also features Emun Elliott (The Gold, Prometheus), Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who Green Wing) and John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral).
Paxton, graduate of the National Film and Television School, is known for his award-winning shorts and his BBC comedy-drama Ladybaby, which was nominated for Best Comedy at the Broadcast Awards. He received a BAFTA Scotland nomination in 2021 for his short film Neville Is Dead.
The film is produced by Shirley O’Connor and Emily Gotto for Pilea Pictures. Financial backing came from the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, Screen Scotland, Little Walnut, Day Zero, Head Gear, and Inevitable Pictures. Executive producers are Mia Bays for the BFI, Kieran Hannigan and Steven Little for Screen Scotland, Trevor Noah and Sanaz Yamin for Day Zero Productions, Lindsay Hicks and Moby for Little Walnut, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear and Katie Holly for Inevitable Pictures. Co-Producer is Wendy Griffin.
Cast by Kharmel Cochrane, Gleeson is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher and imPRint and will next be seen in the upcoming Peacock and NBCU’s new comedy series The Paper, premiering September 5. Rankin is represented by B-Side Management and United Talent Agency and is currently shooting House of The Dragon for HBO. Paxton is represented by Olivia Gray at Independent Talent.
Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, said: “We are very proud to support Louis Paxton to realise his debut feature, a compelling, off-beat Scottish Folk comedy. Set on a remote island in the North Sea, The Incomer is heartfelt, mysterious and delightfully eccentric, exploring themes of isolation, heritage and the importance of human connection to foster positive change and renewal. We think Paxton and his producers Emily Gotto and Shirley O'Connor and the fabulous cast and crew they have assembled have together captured something that will really stand out.”
Kieran Hannigan, Head of Scripted at Screen Scotland said: “Louis is a truly unique talent, and this distinctive and heartwarming piece showcases that beautifully. Screen Scotland was thrilled to be able to support the project through development and into production. Both singularly Scottish and utterly universal, Louis along with the wonderful cast and crew have delivered a quirky, emotional and hilarious life-affirming tale.”
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Image credits
Headshot of Gayle Rankin credit Erik Tanner); headshot of Grant O’Rourke credit Robert Pereira-Hind.