Who is Peter Mullan?

He is possibly not a recognised household name. Peter Mullan is a man who has been around and done his 'thing' for many years now. Originally from Peterhead, Scotland, he is without a doubt some home grown talent. Whether it is acting, directing or producing, I can say that he has the experience, and is definitely one of the examples of the talent that comes from Glasgow.

Although originally from Peterhead, he moved to Glasgow at an early age, and his career in the movie industry began. He had a dream to become a movie director and he applied for the National Film School. Unfortunately for him (but not for us) he didn't make it in, so he began his swift career in acting.

He certainly is one of those actors that has been in everything. In his early days he acted in television series' such as  Taggart (who hasn't these days) and Rab C. Nesbitt and movies such as Riff - Raff and Braveheart.

His career blossomed and  he won the award for  best leading actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 for My Name Is Joe. But he didn't stop there. It was still his dream to become a director and in 1993 he directed his first short film Close. This then led to Peter becoming the successful director of 7 films, from Good Day For The Bad Guys to NEDS. Now, before you fall asleep, it won't surprise most people that after his award his career exploded, getting acting parts in in films such as Children Of Men and the brand new Harry Potter films.

NEDS was without a doubt a very anticipated film. As Peter had lived in Glasgow for many years, his unique take on the script meant that the film would have a certain air about it. He was able to draw on past experiences to add atmosphere to the film. The setting of the film and the Glasgow director is possibly one of the strongest examples of Glasgow film. The anticipation of people wanting to see this movie was well more than anyone expected. Everyone knows some 'neds', everyone had experienced them and their antics, so now a film about them had to be worth the watch. Viewers were finally glad to see a film about the housing schemes that they live in, to see it portrayed on the big screen would have been a great feeling.

Peter Mullan, now in the middle of filming the final installment of the Harry Potter series is without a doubt incredibly talented. NEDS has certainly put him on the map with the younger generation. His acting talent has most probably secured him some good roles for the future, and after the success we can only sit back and wait to see what the next wonder will be from this talented guy.

How well do we know our home grown movie talent?

If I stepped outside this room, went down to the street and grabbed the first randomer that I saw, their reaction would be, of course, surprise. If I then asked them to name me a big popular movie nine times out of ten I would get an answer like Avatar or Inception.

The answer is due to be some big shot Hollywood film that made millions and everyone loves. If I then asked the same person to name me a film done by a British director then they would be stumped. Anyone that blurted out Braveheart would in fact be wrong, considering it was directed by Mel Gibson who is in fact American. It is understandable that Hollywood has managed to take over the film world, spewing out films left, right and centre. But we must not forget about our own home grown British talent in the movie industry.

 
British director's such as Danny Boyle (Sunshine and Trainspotting) and Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland and Eagle) can produce a movie to rival any that is produced from Hollywood. These directors prove that you don't need a big budget or fancy famous stars to make a great movie.

If I then asked the person one last question, to name a director from Glasgow, what would they say? The known nationality of directors and their work is scarce, we know where actors are from, but not directors. This person would most likely  think I was bonkers but it raises a crucial point. Directors like Kevin MacDonald and Peter Mullan (NEDS and Co director of Trainspotting) are less well known in the film world but that in no way means they are any less talented. Glasgow is capable of spilling out amazing talent, whether it's in the form of Directors or Producers, something I will be exploring in more detail.