Summer holidays. As a kid they could stretch on forever. Playing outside, exploring, ice lollies, sandy beaches, sun cream…
But then came the longest summer. One that felt like it may never end.
In 2020, during the height of the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, BBC Scotland joined with the National Theatre of Scotland to produce a series of short films called Scenes For Survival. This series took a selection of Scottish writers and tasked them with creating pieces that reflected the unique and challenging circumstances of that moment.
The Longest Summer was our contribution to the series and tells the story of a man looking back to a childhood summer he thought would never end. Starring Richard Rankin (Outlander) the short was filmed socially distanced during lockdown between Glasgow and Portobello. Directed by Jemima Levick and shot by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
After it’s release, the song became available for purchase on iTunes and raised thousands for localised coronavirus charities throughout Scotland. To listen to the song click on the Spotify link here or you can watch the full movie below.
Scenes for Survival is a National Theatre of Scotland project in association with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine project and Scotland’s leading theatre venues and companies, with support from Hopscotch Films.