California Schemin'
Based on a true story, this is a wild ride through ambition, identity, and the high-stakes world of musical make-believe.
In the early 2000s, Dundee rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were talented, hungry, but dismissed for sounding “too Scottish” to make it in hip hop. So they hatched an audacious plan: fake American identities, re-record their tracks with Californian accents, and hustle their way into the heart of the UK music industry as “Silibil N’ Brains” – childhood friends of D12 and stars-in-the-making. To their shock, the plan works. Record deals, media buzz, and gigs with hip hop legends follow. But as their deception deepens, the pressure mounts and cracks begin to show. How long can you live the dream when it’s built on a lie?
With bold humour, raw emotion, and a defiant spirit, “California Schemin’” is a love letter to outsiders, underdogs, and the pursuit of fame – but asks, at what cost.
James McAvoy’s directorial debut premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
James McAvoy (1979) is a Scottish actor, known for his emotional depth, precision and charisma and his versatile roles, moving between independent dramas and major studio films. He studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). He began his career in the late 1990s with appearances in British television series, before gaining wider recognition for his role in “Last King of Scotland” (2006) which earned him a BAFTA nomination. In addition to numerous critically acclaimed roles – “Atonement” (2007), “Split” (2016) to name a few – he has gained wide-spread popularity with the X-Men series (2011-2019). He has appeared on stage in productions such as Macbeth (2013) and Cyrano de Bergerac (2019), earning several Olivier Award nominations.
Filmography:
California Schemin (2025)