The true story of two Scottish rappers getting a US record deal, California Schemin’, directed by James McAvoy, will close the Glasgow Film Festival in March. James McAvoy has turned from Hollywood actor to director with his debut, California Schemin’ – a true-life comedy drama due to close the Glasgow Film Festival in 2026. The ... California Schemin’ | James McAvoy’s directorial debut to close the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival
The true story of two Scottish rappers getting a US record deal, California Schemin’, directed by James McAvoy, will close the Glasgow Film Festival in March.
James McAvoy has turned from Hollywood actor to director with his debut, California Schemin’ – a true-life comedy drama due to close the Glasgow Film Festival in 2026.
The story of Scottish rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd was previously told in the highly engrossing 2013 documentary, The Great Hip Hop Hoax. In the early 2000s, the young musicians struggled to make their mark in a rap scene largely dominated by American voices; under the name Silibil N’ Brains, the pair decided to pretend they were from California, not Arbroath, and quickly landed a major deal with Sony.
This posed a new challenge: riding the wave of attention and success while maintaining their fictional backstory.
Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley play Bain and Boyd respectively, while McAvoy and James Corden also star. The script is by Archie Thomson and Elaine Gracie, adapted from Bain’s own autobiography about the whole episode, Straight Outta Scotland.
California Schemin’ was shot in and around Glasgow and Dundee; McAvoy is from Glasgow himself, so it’s only fitting that his directorial debut should make its premiere at the city’s film festival.
“California Schemin’ is an unbelievable true story about identity, ambition, fame and how much you’re willing to sacrifice to get it,” McAvoy’s said. “It’s a wild story and I can’t wait to share the film with festival audiences in March.”
Of the announcement, the Glasgow Film Festival’s head of programme Paul Gallagher said, “James McAvoy has poured his heart and soul into making California Schemin’, and the results are right there on the screen; this is a film of huge emotions, hilarious characters, firecracker performances and a Barrowlands-set finale that blows the roof off. Mark your diaries, this is one party you won’t want to miss.”
GFF 2026 will run from the 25th February to the 8th March 2026, with California Schemin’ screening on that final day. The full festival line-up will be announced on the 21st January, while tickets will go on sale that same month.
California Schemin’ gets its wider UK cinema release on the 10th April 2026. Until then, you can find The Great Hip Hop Hoax on Prime Video if you fancy an early insight into the bizarre true story.
