Calibre

Edinburgh native Matt Palmer made his feature film debut with Calibre which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2018, before launching on Netflix shortly after. Jack Lowden (Mary Queen of Scots), Martin McCann and Tony Curran (Outlaw King) star in the taut thriller which legendary horror writer Stephen King called “a genuine nail-biter”.

Childhood friends Vaughn (Lowden) and Marcus (McCann) travel to the remote Scottish Highlands for a hunting trip. However, following a shocking incident, events quickly spiral out of control and the pair are faced with a nightmarish scenario.

Production company, Wellington Films, based themselves in Edinburgh for close to three weeks in preparation for the shoot. While set in the Scottish, Beecraigs Country Park in West Lothian was used primarily as the backdrop. The production also shot for two days in the capital with the opening scenes of Vaughn’s home shot near the Meadows.

Drawing inspiration from 70s thrillers like Wake in Fright, Deliverance and Straw Dogs, Calibre was met with critical acclaim upon its release. It collected the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at EIFF, and Palmer was nominated for the Douglas Hickox Award at the British Independent Film Awards soon after. Jack Lowden would pick up a Best Actor award at the Scottish BAFTAs.

Calibre is available on Netflix now.