Mearns writer shoots her first short film

A Newton Mearns playwright has made the move to movies — and it’s taken her as far as sunny Girvan.

Isabella Baronello’s work has graced The Shed’s lunchtime stage and the Edinburgh Fringe. The mum-of-three began writing five years ago, after pursuing acting and realising there were fewer roles for women in her age group.

With hits like Lizzie — a tale of a working class woman inspired by Isabella’s grandmother — under her belt, the playwright has now turned to short films, and first up is Weekend in Girvan.

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She told The Extra: “I teamed up with filmmaker William Samson, of Samson Video Production, to create a film that will be doing a tour of film festivals.

“William wanted to use all of his favourite actresses — women he’d worked with in the past — and create an all-female cast.

“He asked me to write the story behind it, and I came up with Weekend in Girvan.

“The story follows four women who are completely different, and don’t really know each other well, but who end up on a holiday in Girvan together after one finds her husband dead in...shall we say a compromising outfit? In a nutshell, it’s a story about friendship.”

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At 30 minutes, the film leans on the long side of the short film world — but Isabella and William hope to make a splash at film fests, especially those geared towards women.

But the setting is just as important for the playwright, who added: “It was filmed in Ayrshire and we had lovely weather and great support from the place.

“It sounds really conceited when people say we’re putting Girvan on the map with our wee film. But I chose there because I love it — it’s an underrated seaside town.”

To follow the film’s progress, head to www.facebook.com/pages/Weekend-in-Girvan.