Amber Anderson, Guest, Lucy Halliday, Sam Bottomley, James McAvoy, Lisa Liberati, Seamus McLean Ross, John Scougall, Rebekah Murrell

Following a acclaimed debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and closing the Zurich Film Festival on 4 October, California Schemin’ — James McAvoy’s highly anticipated directorial debut — is continuing its international festival run this autumn.

The film screens this week at the Rome Film Festival (16–27 October), before heading to the São Paolo International Film Festival (17–30 October) and Tallinn Black Nights in Estonia (8–24 November).

Based on the extraordinary true story of Silibil N’ Brains — a Scottish rap duo who reinvented themselves as Californian Americans to break into the UK music industry — the film stars Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley, with McAvoy also taking a supporting role. Critics have praised its energy, humour, and sharp take on identity, ambition, and the music industry’s biases.

California Schemin’ is produced by Danny Page of Homefront Productions and Michael Mendelsohn of Patriot Pictures, in association with Blazing Griffin. Executive Producers include Naysun Alae-Carew, Nic Crum, and Lauren Lamarr for Blazing Griffin. International sales are handled by Bankside Films, with StudioCanal releasing the film in the UK and Ireland.

The festival run follows the recent appointment of Danny Page as Head of Pictures at Blazing Griffin, signalling the studio’s ambition to grow its slate of internationally-minded feature films.

The film went on to close Glasgow Film Festival 2026 as the UK Premiere Closing Night Gala in March 2026, before its UK theatrical release via StudioCanal in April 2026 and its upcoming US release through Magenta Light Studios in October 2026.