Tommy's Honour to shine a light on East Lothian at EIFF Opening Gala

Making use of unrivalled locations in East Lothian and the Edinburgh city region, ‘Tommy’s Honour’ was shot across 30 days, positioning the popular seaside destination as world class filming destination.

The film is a captivating period drama about a strained relationship between father and son, set against the fascinating backdrop of the early days of professional golf and features Scottish acting legend Peter Mullan and rising star Jack Lowden. Director, Jason Connery utilised a number of locations across East Lothian and the Edinburgh region, including Musselburgh Old Course, Winterfield Golf Club and Gosford House, showcasing East Lothian as a film friendly location and popular visitor destination.

‘Tommy’s Honour’ follows the successful launch of East Lothian’s Film Charter in May last year, which streamlines the processes for filmmakers wishing to film in the region and confirms East Lothian as film-friendly destination. Tommy’s Honour was not the only production to benefit from the Charter; other high profile productions including The Secret Agent and hotly anticipated blockbuster ‘The BFG’.

The East Lothian Film Charter brings the region in line with the updated Edinburgh Film Charter that Film Edinburgh and City of Edinburgh Council introduced a year ago, which was significant in supporting The Correspondence, by director Giusoppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) which will be showcased alongside Tommy’s Honour in this year’s EIFF

Rosie Ellison, Film Manager for Film Edinburgh said: “Attracting high profile productions such as ‘Tommy’s Honour’ to the city and surrounding regions has been a real success story for Film Edinburgh. Since we launched the Film Charter last year, East Lothian has grown significantly in popularity as a film friendly destination; we saw a 43% increase in filming in 2015 from the likes of productions such as Outlander, The BFG and BBC drama ‘The Secret Agent’ which we expect to air soon. I’ve no doubt Tommy’s Honour will be well received and hopefully go a long way to showcasing the region on a global stage.”

Tommy’s Honour Producer, Bob Last, adds: "It was a pleasure to shoot so extensively in East Lothian. Film Edinburgh, the local authorities and the people of East Lothian all made the production welcome. I thought I knew East Lothian well but discovered it possesses an even wider range of locations than I had previously realised."

Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council’s spokesperson for Economic Development and Tourism, said: “East Lothian has played its part in many films and TV series and it’s no wonder given our abundance of beautiful beaches, picturesque villages, rolling countryside, stately homes and historical landmarks. We’re delighted to feature so prominently in Tommy’s Honour, which will open this year’s EIFF, and we’ll be on hand at the launch event to talk to film festival-goers about East Lothian and what it has to offer.

“We work collaboratively with partners, which really helps more filming take place in our county – helping to put us on the worldwide tourist map.”