02/06/2025 - Set in early 19th-century Edinburgh, the historical courtroom drama uncovers a forgotten scandal at the intersection of gender, race and class

l-r: Nadira Murray (Sylph Productions), Karin Koch (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion), Andrea Hanke (WDR), Flora Nicholson, Amy Walker, Fiona Shaw, Rebecca Martin, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia, Bettina Brokemper (Heimatfilm), Alexandre Dupont-Geisselmann (farbfilm verleih) and director Sophie Heldman (kneeling) (© Heimatfilm)

The British-set period drama Miss Pirie and Miss Woods (also known as Scotch Verdict) wrapped filming last month after a 34-day shoot in Edinburgh and Cologne. Directed by German filmmaker Sophie Heldman (Colors in the Dark [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), the film is based on Lillian Faderman’s non-fiction book Scotch Verdict: The Real-Life Story That Inspired ‘The Children’s Hour’.

Set in 1810, the film revisits the real-life scandal that shook Scottish society when two governesses, Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods, were accused of a romantic relationship by their teenage pupil, leading to a historic trial and public disgrace. The two women open a boarding school for girls in Edinburgh, seeking financial independence and social standing. Their aspirations are challenged by the arrival of Jane Cumming, a mixed-race orphan, and the involvement of her powerful grandmother, Dame Cumming Gordon. As tensions mount within the school, an accusation from the emotionally neglected Jane Cumming spirals into a courtroom battle, fuelled by prejudice and repression. The result is a devastating scandal in a society intolerant of female autonomy and perceived sexual transgression.

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The screenplay is co-written by Heldman and lead Scottish actress Flora Nicholson (Darkest Hour [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), who stars alongside Irish thesp Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley), Clare Dunne (Herself [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clare Dunne
film profile]), the BAFTA-award-winning Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), and relative newcomers Mia Tharia (September Says [+see also:
film review
interview: Ariane Labed
film profile]) and Rebecca Martin. Heldman’s adaptation revisits the case that inspired Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play The Children’s Hour, offering a more historically faithful and intersectional portrayal of the events.

Miss Pirie and Miss Woods is a German-Swiss-UK co-production, led by Bettina Brokemper, of Germany’s Heimatfilm, with Karin Koch (of Switzerland’s Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion), Paul Welsh (of Glasgow’s Edge City Films) and Nadira Murray (of Edinburgh-based Sylph Productions) also serving as producers. The project is supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF). Andrea Hanke oversees the editorial side for WDR/ARTE, which is attached as broadcast partner.

Farbfilm Verleih will distribute the movie in German cinemas, while international sales are handled by Global Screen. The film is currently in post-production and is slated for release in 2026.