UK production company Randan, Scottish slang for ’raucous partying’, is launching in Cannes with a slate of productions and backing from the UK Global Screen Fund.
It has been formed by Scotland-based producers Reece Cargan, founder of Bombito, and James Heath, managing director of commrcials outfit MTP, where he will remain as exec producer for commercials work.
Three projects are in post-production: Rada Leonora’s In The Morning Light, about the life of surrealist artist Leonard Carrington. MTP had been co-producing the film alongside Lena Vurma’s Dragonfly Films, Meli Melo Cultura & Piano (MX), Digital Cube (RO), and Skye Film; Polly Findlay’s Midwinter Break, co-produced Shoebox Films, Family Affair and Film4 and Protagonist; and Brian Durnin’s 1980s Ireland-set coming of age drama Spilt Milk.
Randan has also co-produced Suzanne Raes’s feature doc Where Dragons Live, which. will world premiere at Sheffield DocFest. Liselot Verbrugge’s Film Harbour is handling sales.
Now 30 years old, MTP is Scotland’s longest established commercial production house, working for clients including Cadbury and EE. It has also ventured into feature film in recent years with Hector starring Peter Mullan and Freehold, directed by Dominic Bridges.
Bombito was founded in 2017 by Cargan, selected by Screen International as a Rising Star Scotland’ in 2022.It has had a strong focus on LGBTQIA+ stories.
At Randan, Cargan is both producer and maanaging director, Heath will also produce and stay on as executive producer at MTP, where he is also managing director. Simon Mallinson takes on the chairman role at Randan, and Vaishnavi Ramu and Lauren Piskothy are joining as development assistants from Bombito and MTP respectively.
MTP will now focus exclusively on commercial work. Anything that Heath and Cargan do film-wise will be made through Randan.
Randan is aiming to make between three to six features a year, both docs and a ficton series called Head Rush by Philip Wright, is being co-developed with STV Studios.
Among other feature projects the company has in development from first and second directors are Daniel Cook’s documentary Love Letters, Maximilien Dejoie and Virginija Vareikyte’s Ting, Bircan Birol’s Your Honour, Jack Goessens’ Boifriend, Dean Loxton’s Ride, Michael Lee Richardson’s A Good Spell, Jamie Maule-ffinch’s Desperate Wretched People and Turkish-Kurdish doc Your Honour also by Birol.
“We are starting by working with a lot of first-time filmmakers and gradually the plan is work with second and third-time filmmaker as we grow bigger,” said Cargan.
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