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The Story

Two sisters torn from their home in Nigeria and sold into slavery try to retake their freedom in a foreign and hostile land, attempting to elude their master in the perilous Scottish Highlands.  As they experience the dangerous and transformative power of nature their battle for survival intensifies, and they draw strength not only from within, but from each other and their shared spiritual roots in Africa. Yet can they ever be truly free..?

The History

Scots proudly played their part in the abolition of the trade. But for a time we misted over our role as perpetrators of this barbarism. Many of Scottish industries, schools and churches were founded from the profits of African slavery.

Even Robert Burns was considering a position as a book-keeper in a plantation before poetry revived his fortunes. In 1796, Scots owned nearly 30 per cent of the estates in Jamaica and by 1817, a staggering 32 per cent of the slaves.  At any given time there were only about 70 or 80 slaves in Scotland but the country reaped the fruits of their labour in the colonies in the sugar, cotton and tobacco plantations.  Many Scots masters were considered among the most brutal, with life expectancy on their plantations averaging a mere four years.

Iain Whyte, author of Scotland and the Abolition of Slavery, insists we have at times ignored our guilty past.  “For many years Scotland’s historians harboured the illusion that our nation had little to do with the slave trade or plantation slavery. We swept it under the carpet. This was remarkable in the light of Glasgow’s wealth coming from tobacco, sugar and cotton, and Jamaica Streets being found in a number of Scottish towns and cities.  It is healthy we are now recognising Scotland was very much involved.”

The Cast & Crew

Clive Russell -   'Master David Andrews'

Clive Russell is an incredible actor best known for his roles as, 'Lord Lovat' in Outlander, 'Chief Inspector Fredeick Abberline' in Ripper Street, 'Angus O'Connor' in Happiness and 'Brynden "Blackfish" Tully' in HBO series Game of Thrones.  We're really excited and lucky to welcome Clive aboard who will delve into the role of 'Master Andrews' to bring this complex and haunted character to life.

Moyo Akandé – Script Developer & 'Emma'

Moyo trained at the prestigious Arts Educational in London. She has an extensive list of television credits in particular for the BBC including, Bob Servant Independent, Taggart and Lip Service. Moyo has also worked in many theatre's across Britain with Olivier and Tony award winning directors with companies including The Shakespeare's Globe. Moyo is currently in production withThe Fast & The Furious director Rob Cohen on his new blockbuster feature Category 5 where she will be playing one of the leading roles."

Morayo Akandé – Writer & 'Rebecca'

Talented newcomer Morayo Akandé is the Writer behind 1745.  She trained at the prestigious East 15 Acting School in London and Idyllwild Arts Academy in California, USA. She will star alongside her sister Moyo in 1745 playing the role of ‘Rebecca’. Her recent acting credits include the feature film Burnt and US TV series 24: Live Another Day.

John McKay - Producer

Scottish, writer, director and recently producer – John’s movies include Crush with Andie Macdowell and Imelda Staunton, Piccadilly Jim with Sam Rockwell and Frances O’ Connor, and Not Another Happy Ending with Karen Gillan and Stanley Weber; tv includes lead direction on Ordinary Lies, Life On Mars, Robin Hood, The Whistleblowers and The Canterbury Tales (where he gave Billy Piper her first starring role), as well as single dramas A Waste of Shame with Rupert Graves and Tom Sturridge (RTS nomination, Best Single Drama), Reichenbach Falls,  and his film on the love affair between David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton We’ll Take Manhattan  – which he wrote, directed and exec produced – winning the Prix Europa for Best Drama.

"This story shines a light on an important part of Scottish and British history that we often forget - our nation's deep and shameful involvement in the slave trade. It's a passion project for talented film-makers Gordon and Julian - but for Moyo and Morayo, growing up in today's Scotland, it's also deeply personal."

Gordon J. Napier - Director & Co-Producer

Originally from the Highlands of Scotland Gordon has a Master of Fine Art in Film Directing at Edinburgh College of Art (part of The University of Edinburgh).  Gordon was awarded the highly coveted UK Prince William BAFTA & Warner Bros. Scholarship for his film work and is supported by both organisations through his professional development.  He’s also had varied film experience from working on big productions like Harry Potter and 007: Skyfall and on intimate charity documentaries in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. His focus is primarily on directing short fiction films which explore the human condition and the complexities of family relationships through the prism of the natural world.  Gordon has filmed extensively in the Highlands of Scotland and has a strong network of exceptionally talented low budget film makers we'll be collaborating with on 1745.

Julian Schwanitz - Director of Photography

Julian is a BAFTA winning cinematographer and filmmaker based in central Scotland. Numerous films he shot have played in festivals worldwide and won awards at Clermont-Ferrand, IDFA, DOKLeipzig, Alcine or Glasgow  amongst others.  In 2011 his cinematography for the short film DISCO was awarded a BAFTA New Talent Award, in 2012 his documentary on Jocky Wilson, the multi award winning KIRKCALDY MAN earned him his second BAFTA and a nomination for a GRIERSON Award after scooping the Golden Dove for the best international short doc at DOKLeipzig. In 2013 the International Documentary Association awarded him with the IDA award for Cinematography for his camera work on PABLOs WINTER.

Ali Mitchell - Costume Designer

Ali Mitchell is a freelance costume designer with 20 years experience designing for film and television.  Based in Edinburgh she works all over the world and has a personal interest in education and training, including past projects with Screen Academy Scotland & Edinburgh College of Art.  Passionate about costume, film, storytelling and people, a personal area of interest is promoting hidden stories, such as that of the Tuskegee Airmen in her work for the movie Red Tails.  As head of department she is committed to nurturing talent and building strong, craft based costume teams who can deliver creative and innovative design solutions to the highest standards - on a tight budget.  A perfect fit with 1745.  Her feature film credits include The Rezort, Guardians of The Galaxy, Outpost, Eragon & The Last King of Scotland as well as Scottish BAFTA winning TV dramas, Low Winter Sun and Shoebox Zoo

We Need YOUR Help!

We're filming this October 24^th and we really need your support and financial backing to do this story justice!  We've done so much already to get everything in place to make this film a reality and to shine a light on a much forgotten time in Britain’s history. Please consider getting involved and contributing to this exciting and unique project and become a part of it!!!  If you can’t afford to contribute then you can still help us by using the Indiegogo share tools to share the project on social media to help spread the word!

What will your money be spent on?

The great news is we have already been green-lit by Creative Scotland, the British Film Institute (BFI) and the Scottish Film Talent Network and received some modest funding to make this film! But film making is VERY EXPENSIVE as some of you out there will know!  This is a very ambitious tale of survival which will require additional funding to be able to make it to the standard we’re aiming for. Your contributions will go directly into making this film to the highest standards we’re capable of as a team, by providing each department with the tools and support they need.  Here is a list of some of the production aspects that your contributions will help pay for:

• Travel expenses - We need to get many vehicles, lots of equipment and 20+ crew members up to the Scottish Highlands and then back and fourth from our accommodation to the set every day on the shoot. 
• Transportation - for transportation of crew, props and equipment we will need to hire some vehicles of varying sizes.
• Health & Safety – Filming in the great outdoors can be a dangerous business, so we need to make sure the production is properly insured and, due to some of the exciting scenes in the film, monitored by specialists to ensure cast and crew are as safe as houses at all times.
• Accommodation – Keeping 20+ cast and crew warm and comfortable for a week in the Scottish Highlands is very costly, we’re working with locals in the area to keep the costs as low as possible but it will still be considerable.
• Catering - We need to feed our whole crew for the 6 days that we are shooting. Making films and working long hours in the cold and wet Highlands is hungry work!
• Costume Design, Production Design & Props - Making a period film is not simple or cheap! The small details in films provide depth for characters and their environments. Good design makes the film more believable and in turn the audience is more invested in the story. The more money we raise the more we can afford to pay attention to the finer details of our production and ensure accuracy and believability on the big screen!
• Equipment – We need to rent a lot of equipment in order to create an end product which feels cinematic and looks beautiful. Jib cranes, camera rigs, drones, filter kits and lenses as well as the kind of camera we’re able to afford. This is where the real difference to the visuals of the film is made but it’s all very expensive!   
• Promotion - Making a good film is one thing, but getting people to notice it is another. Some funding for PR & Marketing will help get the film out there, open doors and create opportunities for us to show people what we can do and hopefully create employment opportunities to further the careers of those involved.

The Location

Lochaber is an area in the West of the Scottish Highlands. Historically it referred to the area between Loch Linnhe and Loch Leven, around the town of Fort William. It is now also used to refer to a much wider area, one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tierHighland region.  According to legend a "glaistig", an evil woman-goat hybrid, once lived in the area!

Some of Our Directors Previous Work

Some of Our Directors of Photography's Previous Work