An Isle of Man filmmaker has teamed up with a Glasgow based director to launch a crowdfunding appeal to complete a unique film production in Scotland: adapting renowned Canadian author Alistair Macleod’s In The Fall to the screen.

Rupert Clague, who is producing the movie, is a dual Canadian-British citizen. Born in Thunder Bay, he moved to the Isle of Man at the age of seven, attending Laxey Primary School and later King William’s College while living in Baldrine. He now works as a freelance producer/director for both the BBC and Netflix - making documentaries on everything from Frankenstein to Mary Poppins to the recent runaway Netflix original series Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father. He also runs his own independent production company, Handsome Beast.

In The Fall covers the trials of one poor family as it wrestles with the decision to sell their aging pit-horse. The story is told from a young boy’s perspective as he struggles to comprehend the loyal animal being sold off to the knacker’s yard. 

Though the original story is set in Nova Scotia, Rupert and director Tom Gentle believe the story is universal and easily adapted to the Scottish Highlands during the 1920s. The pair, who are long time fans of Alistair MacLeod’s work, have acquired the rights from the MacLeod family estate and have a script in place. Conversations have begun in earnest regarding high profile casting, cinematography, and production design.

Rupert said: ’We are currently just shy of a third of the way through to crowdfunding the campaign. It’s been an incredibly exciting, albeit exhausting, journey so far. We had an unexpected boost when British actor and comedian Alan Davies made a sizeable donation and came on board as an associate producer. A week later, novelist Margaret Atwood shared our campaign on Twitter.’

You can find out more at www.indiegogo.com/projects/in-the-fall-short-film-canada-literature