A new wave of filmmakers, musicians and grassroots creatives is reshaping Scotland’s cultural identity. But is the country finally ready to think beyond its borders and claim a place on the global stage?
Through conversations with filmmaker and zine creator Ashley Catherine Dick, and more, let’s examine the creative energy building across film, music and grassroots arts and asks whether Scotland is preparing for an Ireland‑style cultural breakthrough.
A Creative Shift After Years of Uncertainty
When Ashley looks back at the last few years, she describes a landscape reshaped by crisis and reinvention. The post‑pandemic boom in Scottish film and TV created opportunities that felt long overdue, but the sudden slowdown that followed forced many creatives to rethink how they work.
“People realised they didn’t need permission anymore,” she explains. “You can make something on your phone, put it out there, and find your people. Things don’t have to be polished. They just have to be real.”
That shift from gatekeeping to grassroots mirrors the early 2010s in Ireland, when a generation of artists began bypassing traditional institutions and building their own momentum. Ashley sees the same energy emerging here. “There’s a feeling that you don’t have to leave Scotland to make something meaningful. People are standing their ground now.”
A New Kind of Scottish Storytelling
For decades, Scottish film and TV leaned on familiar tropes: the angry Scotsman, the comic Scotsman, the bleak kitchen‑sink drama. The new wave looks different.
“It’s uplifting to see Scottish stories that aren’t tied to that melancholic oppression we’re used to,” Ashley reflects. “These films speak to people across the world without leaning into clichés.” Films like Aftersun, I Swear, California Schemin’ and Half Man are defined by emotional intelligence rather than stereotype.
Photo credit: Sarah Makharine - https://reelpictures.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Aftersun_PressKit_071022-2-1.pdf
Her point echoes something Gianluca Bernacchi has noticed in music. As a member of Gallus and a producer working with emerging Glasgow acts, he sees a shift in attitude. “There’s a confidence coming through,” he tells me. “Artists aren’t trying to sound ‘Scottish’ in the way people expect. They’re just making good work, and the world is paying attention.”
The Global Stage Is Finally Looking
Ashley has attended the Cannes Film Festival for years. For a long time, Scotland felt invisible. “I didn’t meet another Scottish person. I didn’t see any Scottish films. Then suddenly, last year, there were loads of us. Scotland had a showcase. It felt like a presence.”
International productions are also arriving in Scotland at a pace that would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago. World War Z was once the anomaly. Now Marvel, DC and major streamers regularly shoot in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Yes, they bring their own crews. Yes, Scotland still fights for its share of jobs. But the infrastructure is growing. The visibility is growing. The opportunities are growing.
And crucially, the talent is ready.
The Infrastructure Gap
That optimism is shared by Daniel Callaghan, a recent film graduate from Glasgow Clyde College, although he sees the limits more clearly than most. “I do feel optimistic about the future,” he adds, “but there needs to be more done to support young Scottish people who want to work in film and television.”
Daniel worked on the new Spider‑Man film when it shot in Glasgow, an experience that highlighted the imbalance. “The main crew were all London‑based or England‑based, which isn’t ideal. The Scottish workers were mostly in short‑term roles. Once the production wraps, those jobs disappear. For too long, young Scottish creatives have had to move down south to make a name for themselves.”
Despite this, he believes Scotland is becoming part of the global cultural conversation. “It’s a beautiful place and perfect for locations, but the talented people here are still under‑utilised.”
He points to filmmakers like Lynne Ramsay and Charlotte Wells as proof that Scottish stories resonate far beyond Scotland. “They’ve both made films that highlight Scottish life, and those films have proved hugely popular. Paul Mescal’s Oscar nomination for Aftersun shows how far a Scottish story can travel.”
Grassroots Culture Is Doing the Heavy Lifting
While film and TV gain attention, Scotland’s cultural shift is also happening at street level. Suzanne Oswald, an editor at Tenement TV, sees it clearly.
“There’s a hunger for things that feel local but ambitious,” she says. “People want to support Scottish work, but they also want it to feel connected to the wider world.”
Ashley’s own project, the Scottish New Wave Zine, taps directly into that appetite. Independent bookshops in London have already asked to stock it. “I thought it was lovely,” she adds. “It shows people outside Scotland are curious about what’s happening here.”
Ashley's new magazine The Scottish New Wave - credit Craig Jinks
Staying, Not Leaving
For generations, Scottish creatives were told the same thing: if you want to make something of yourself, you have to leave. That narrative is breaking.
Ashley knows people who had the chance to move to London but chose to stay. “Why should you leave behind everything you’ve built here? People are keeping the quality here.”
Gianluca sees the same shift in music. “There’s pride again,” he notes. “Not nationalism. Just a belief that Scottish work deserves to be taken seriously.”
A Country on the Cusp
Scotland isn’t there yet quite like Ireland have been this past decade. The infrastructure isn’t as mature. The funding isn’t as bold. The international spotlight isn’t as bright.
Thankfully though, the signs of positive change are there and with the introduction of a basic income for artists on the horizon, that could be the first step towards the supportive infrastructure required for Scotland to take over the cultural world.
But until then, Ashley puts it simply: “People are making things happen for themselves. It feels like a turning point.”
Whether Scotland becomes the next Ireland isn’t the real question. The real question is whether Scotland believes it can.
Right now, for the first time in a long time, the answer seems to be yes.
