The incredible true Scottish road trip behind Alan Cumming’s new film Borges and Me
Alan Cumming stars in a new film inspired by the extraordinary true story of an American student who travelled across Scotland with one of the world’s greatest writers - and ended up rescuing him from the waters of Loch Ness.
Borges and Me will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday, 15 August, before further screenings in the capital over the following three days.
The Scottish road movie is based on writer Jay Parini’s memoir about the unlikely journey he made through Scotland with celebrated Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges in the early 1970s.
Fionn Whitehead plays the young Parini, while Luis Gnecco takes on the role of Borges. The film also features a strong Scottish cast including Alan Cumming, Peter Mullan, Freya Mavor, Morven Christie, John Gordon Sinclair and Stuart Bowman.
Cumming plays Scottish poet and translator Alastair Reid, who was teaching Parini at St Andrews and had also translated Borges’ work.
According to Parini’s account, Reid was forced to leave Borges in his care after being called away unexpectedly.
What was supposed to be a relatively straightforward time looking after the blind writer instead developed into an unlikely road trip across Scotland.
The pair travelled through the Highlands as Borges talked about literature, poetry and philosophy, with their increasingly eventful journey taking them to places including Culloden and Loch Ness.
One of the most dramatic moments came on the famous Highland loch.
Parini has recalled taking Borges out in a rowing boat on Loch Ness, where the writer stood up while attempting to summon the Loch Ness Monster through poetry. Borges lost his balance and fell into the water, forcing Parini to dive in and rescue him.
The journey ultimately became the basis for Parini’s 2020 memoir Borges and Me: An Encounter.
Director Marc Turtletaub, whose credits as a producer include Little Miss Sunshine, has now brought the story to the screen.
The production was filmed extensively in Scotland, with Turtletaub revealing that the shoot used 61 different locations during September, October and November.
Parini was also present throughout filming and has described the surreal experience of watching scenes from his own youth being recreated.
Part of the film was shot in St Andrews, including on the street where Parini lived as a student. Returning to Scotland, he said, makes him feel “like I’m 19 once again”.
Borges and Me has its world premiere at the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh at 6.30pm on Saturday, 15 August, with further festival screenings on 16, 17 and 18 August.
Alan Cumming stars in a new film inspired by the extraordinary true story of an American student who travelled across Scotland with one of the world’s greatest writers - and ended up rescuing him from the waters of Loch Ness.
Borges and Me will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday, 15 August, before further screenings in the capital over the following three days.
The Scottish road movie is based on writer Jay Parini’s memoir about the unlikely journey he made through Scotland with celebrated Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges in the early 1970s.
Fionn Whitehead plays the young Parini, while Luis Gnecco takes on the role of Borges. The film also features a strong Scottish cast including Alan Cumming, Peter Mullan, Freya Mavor, Morven Christie, John Gordon Sinclair and Stuart Bowman.
Cumming plays Scottish poet and translator Alastair Reid, who was teaching Parini at St Andrews and had also translated Borges’ work.
According to Parini’s account, Reid was forced to leave Borges in his care after being called away unexpectedly.
What was supposed to be a relatively straightforward time looking after the blind writer instead developed into an unlikely road trip across Scotland.
The pair travelled through the Highlands as Borges talked about literature, poetry and philosophy, with their increasingly eventful journey taking them to places including Culloden and Loch Ness.
One of the most dramatic moments came on the famous Highland loch.
Parini has recalled taking Borges out in a rowing boat on Loch Ness, where the writer stood up while attempting to summon the Loch Ness Monster through poetry. Borges lost his balance and fell into the water, forcing Parini to dive in and rescue him.
The journey ultimately became the basis for Parini’s 2020 memoir Borges and Me: An Encounter.
Director Marc Turtletaub, whose credits as a producer include Little Miss Sunshine, has now brought the story to the screen.
The production was filmed extensively in Scotland, with Turtletaub revealing that the shoot used 61 different locations during September, October and November.
Parini was also present throughout filming and has described the surreal experience of watching scenes from his own youth being recreated.
Part of the film was shot in St Andrews, including on the street where Parini lived as a student. Returning to Scotland, he said, makes him feel “like I’m 19 once again”.
Borges and Me has its world premiere at the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh at 6.30pm on Saturday, 15 August, with further festival screenings on 16, 17 and 18 August.