A FILM about “Scotland’s most notorious imposter” starring Alan Cumming has been picked up by a film distribution company that has released Oscar-winning documentaries.
My Old School is the debut feature by Jono Mcleod and will premiere at Sundance in Utah on January 23 after being acquired by London-basedfilm company Dogwoof.
The film portrays the story of Brandon Lee, “Scotland’s most notorious imposter”, who in 1993 posed as a 16-year-old schoolboy in Bearsden.
Much-loved Scottish actor Cumming portrays the 30-year-old in the upcoming film that will feature interviews with Lee’s old classmates and teachers.
The story follows Lee, the new kid in school, as he is “top of the class, acing exams and even taking the lead in the school musical”.
He is described as “the model pupil, until he’s unmasked”.
Dogwoof has released four Oscar-winning documentaries and the Bafta-winning Free Solo – the UK’s highest grossing documentary of 2019.
Hopscotch Films, also a producer of award-winning films, joined the team creating My Old School.
John Archer and Olivia Lichtenstein, producers, said: “This is a story that will remind you of your schooldays; an unforgettable tale told with warmth, verve and originality by Class 5C, who lived through this extraordinary deception and have never forgotten it. And now, neither will you!”
Cumming said: “This is a great Scottish tale, one that gripped the entire nation when it first broke back in the 1990s, and this documentary retells it from the point of view of the pupils and teachers it all happened to!
“Their experience, their truth and the legacy they still struggle with will, I believe, now captivate a global audience.
“It’s told with a quirky sensitivity, humour and honesty. It’s a story that has always fascinated me and I am delighted to play a part in its telling.”
My Old School was developed and supported by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery through Screen Scotland – Creative Scotland’s partnership for funding and aiding film production.
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