Premature Premieres in Glasgow

Sonorous Films’ debut feature Premature held its gala premiere at Glasgow’s Grosvenor Picture Theatre on Thursday 10 September, ahead of its nationwide cinema release on 18 September. The premiere brought together the film’s cast and crew, industry guests, friends, family and supporters for the first public screening of the Glasgow-made romantic comedy.

Director Kevin Walls and stars James Rottger and Elle Watson stand on the stairs in front of the Grosvenor Picture Theatre. Photo by John Sanger.

Written and directed by Kevin Walls, Premature stars James Rottger as Cameron and Elle Watson, in her feature-film debut, as Eilidh. The cast also includes Gail Watson, Andrew Rodger, Terry Nelson and Zoë Lerman.

The production was highlighted in coverage from BBC Scotland and The List ahead of the premiere. Speaking to BBC Scotland, Walls, Rottger and Watson discussed the film’s portrayal of contemporary Glasgow and its decision to approach the city from a different perspective to the crime and social realist dramas for which it is often used on screen.

Ahead of the premiere, Walls said: “It’s a dream come true to be bringing our independent Scottish rom-com to the big screen, especially after an amazing summer of blockbusters. Scottish audiences deserve to see more Scottish stories in their local cinemas, and it means a lot to us to be able to put one of those stories on the big screen. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

The audience gathers in the auditorium ahead of the screening. Photo by John Sanger.

Premature was made independently with a small cast and crew, with Walls investing £16,000 to cover the costs of development and production. A Kickstarter campaign, including a contribution from Creative Scotland’s Forward Fund, raised over £10,000 for the film’s post-production. Seed funding from Glasgow Caledonian University’s Entrepreneurial Hub contributed to print and advertising costs and enabled the film to be released theatrically.

For Sonorous Films, the premiere marked the beginning of the film’s theatrical journey and the culmination of more than a two years of work to bring Premature to the big screen.