EAST Lothian will shine on the big screen after the death of a fellow actor moved a woman to write and direct her first feature film.

Connect was written and directed by Marilyn Edmond and premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival on Saturday.

The film, which stars Kevin Guthrie, of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Dunkirk, also features a number of East Lothian residents.

Marilyn, who is originally from Prestonpans, was looking forward to the movie’s first screening.

She said: “It is really cool, amazing actually.

“I’m really excited about it and really happy the world premiere is in Scotland.”

Marilyn, who now lives in Glasgow, has been involved in film and television for nearly 10 years.

She has worked as an assistant director on programmes ranging from Waterloo Road and Lovesick to Sunshine on Leith.

However, Connect is her first time as writer and director, with the film also getting a second showing (Sunday, March 3) during the 12-day festival. Both screenings are sold out.

Marilyn revealed it was a tragedy that had moved her to create her first feature-length film.

She said: “When I was working on one of the previous jobs, there was a guy that was an extra and he ended up committing suicide.

“It just totally threw me.

“He had posted on Facebook about how his life was brilliant and he was so happy and four months later he committed suicide.

“I was just gobsmacked with it.

“He was only 23 and that really sticks with me.

“I feel his life had only just really started and I was really saddened by the news.

“Accompanied by all the stories in the media, it is quite a big subject.”

Writing on Connect began in November 2017, with filming getting under way in May last year.

That was wrapped up by November, with the film now finished and ready to be seen by the public.

Thirty-seven-year-old Marilyn, who lived in North Berwick at the time of the filming, said: “Connect is about a young man who is struggling and he is feeling suicidal.

“He gets saved by a stranger and then is encouraged to live his life and reconnect with his family and friends – all the while he is battling his dark secret.”

Steampunk Coffee and Turnbull’s Home Hardware, both North Berwick, are among county locations used in the film, with Gullane Day Centre and Dunbar also featuring.

There are also a handful of familiar faces as well, with Lynne Turnbull and Kenny Ainslie, who has carried boxer Josh Taylor’s Commonwealth super lightweight title to the ring, among those starring in the film.