A feature length documentary about Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh is released in cinemas across the UK today.
Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough goes inside the mind of the Leith-born cultural icon, who has sold over six million books worldwide.
The film finds Welsh, 66, at a crossroads following the success of his books and screen adaptations and gives a glimpse into his hedonistic mind as explores the boundaries of consciousness on an hallucinogenic trip.
Produced by Leith-based LS Films and directed by award-winning filmmaker Paul Sng, it combines observational footage with readings from Welsh’s novels by stars including Liam Neeson, Maxine Peake, Nick Cave and Stephen Graham.
The feature, which was the Closing Night film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival last month, is also a portrait of a man in love, with his third wife Emma Currie featuring.
After the film Welsh spun the discs at the after party.
Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough coincides with the release of his latest Trainspotting sequel Men In Love, for which he also
created an accompanying album of disco tracks.
The feature documentary, which took almost two years to make, is the first major release of its kind by LS Films.
Managing director Sarah Drummond, the film’s executive producer who grew up in the same Muirhouse estate as Welsh, said: “We could have gone down the road of following Irvine as he writes his next book but there’s so many different sides to him that it wouldn’t have done him justice.
“He’s really at his creative peak. He was totally open, kept us updated on where he was going and what he was doing and allowed us to go along on the ride.
“Having that direct access to him meant he was comfortable in that space, sharing those moments, but there was a lot of trust. It’s not sugar-coated and the film shows him as a rounded character — a real person.
“But he loved how Paul worked as a filmmaker. He’s delighted with the film.”
The film will be shown in selected cinemas across the UK – including Filmhouse – book tickets here.
