California Schemin’ (1h 47min.)

In the early 2000s, two best friends from the Scottish town of Dundee dream of a hip-hop career, but the music industry is ruthless. With their heavy accents no one takes them seriously, and when a record executive in London turns them away, Gavin and Billy decide to do something radical. They adopt a new identity: they will become a hip-hop duo from sunny California, with stories to their name of wild parties, and (so they hope) a convincing American accent. To their own astonishment, they score a record deal and make it to the MTV stage, but behind the scenes, their close friendship threatens to buckle under the weight of their lie. Funny and exhilarating, California Schemin’ tells the true story of rap duo Silibil N’ Brains and their three-year-long deception, all the while being critical of the workings of the music industry and the dark side of fame.

California Schemin’ is based on Gavin Bain's 2010 memoir California Schemin’: How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry. It marks the directorial debut of Scottish actor James McAvoy, known for blockbusters such as Atonement (2007) and Split (2016), who has a small role in the film himself as a record executive. The film premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, and had a couple of screenings at the Leiden International Film Festival. The screening at the Noordelijk Film Festival is its Frisian premiere.