Meeting of the Parliament 10 June 2026 [Draft]
I thank Alyn Smith for securing this debate. The motion recognises something that is truly worth celebrating—Scotland’s screen sector is growing and it is doing so in places that we might not expect, such as Kirkcaldy and across Fife, where creative ambition, technical skill and local pride have been turned into real films, real jobs and real opportunities.
Let us take Hex Studios as an example. Hex Media was formed in 2013 and officially established a dedicated studio division in late 2017. It is a dedicated horror studio based in a church, with green-screen facilities, sound recording space, and special effects and workshop capacity. It has a clear purpose to develop and produce horror and fantasy content, nurture emerging voices and provide a home for original storytelling. Its founding team includes Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly, and the project was described at the time as not just a production space but a grass-roots movement with real creative intent.
Hex’s story is a reminder that success in film, as in so many other areas of life, often begins with courage. Its break-out feature, “Lord of Tears”, premiered at the Bram Stoker international film festival in 2013 and won the audience award, establishing Lawrie Brewster and Hex as a distinctive Scottish voice in modern indie horror.
The film and the studio that followed helped to put Fife on the map in that genre of filmmaking, with the work continuing to attract attention from the wider horror community. In 2025 and 2026, the studio’s work was recognised by Rondo Hatton classic horror awards, which included special recognition for its contribution to independent horror.
The Hex story is about as local as it gets. Lawrie Brewster has written about being brought up in Kirkcaldy and the influence of the town and the surrounding Fife communities on his imagination, and about how a working-class background did not prevent him from building a creative career. That is key, because the screen sector should never feel like it belongs only to the biggest cities or the biggest budgets. Fife has shown that imagination can come from anywhere and that local stories can travel to far-flung audiences.
Then there is the British Horror Studio, which is an umbrella project that began with Hex Studios and Amicus Productions. With the B-team, a community-facing initiative around independent horror and direct-to-audience filmmaking, a production house, a training ground and a community built around classic cinema venues, Hex Studios has gained recognition for reviving Amicus Productions.
Scotland’s screen economy is about not only income and production but home-grown companies and ambitions, and about creating a place where ideas can be developed. Skilled people can stay here and the value can be retained here. That is exactly why investment in studio capacity and screen skills is so important. We should never concentrate on attracting the next big production from elsewhere; we must focus on ensuring that Scotland—including places such as Kirkcaldy—is the place where the next generation of screen businesses can grow.
That brings me to Square Go Films, which is another brilliant example that comes from Fife. Square Go Films is a Kirkcaldy-based production company whose team has built a reputation through independent feature making, podcasting and a lively, community-driven presence in Scottish film culture. It is probably best known for “Dick Dynamite: 1944”. The team is well known in the Scottish indie scene.
Would you believe it, Square Go took Fife to Cannes in 2025. It attended the Cannes festival, meeting sales distribution companies and promoting the company’s work. Last month, the team was back again, wearing kilts and turning heads on the red carpet. They met distributors and held talks with US-based Epic Pictures Group about the next instalment of the “Dick Dynamite” film series. I am sure that great things lie ahead for Square Go.
The motion recognises that Scotland’s screen sector is a living network of people and places, from national institutions such as Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland, to local offices and studios in Fife and individual makers with a vision and the determination to pursue it.
Let us recognise and celebrate the film-makers and all those working behind the scenes who are helping to put Scotland firmly on the map. From the writers and directors to the crews, technicians, designers and the countless others whose work often goes unseen, it is their talent and determination that bring the stories of life and help to showcase Scotland to the world.