PRODUCTION / FINANCEMENT Allemagne / Suisse / Royaume-Uni
Miss Pirie and Miss Woods de Sophie Heldman est en post-production
- Le drame judiciaire situé à Édimbourg au début du XIXe siècle fait le jour sur une affaire de scandale aujourd'hui oubliée dans laquelle convergent les notions de genre, de race et de classe

Cet article est disponible en anglais.
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 [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]), 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.
The screenplay is co-written by Heldman and lead Scottish actress Flora Nicholson (Darkest Hour [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]), who stars alongside Irish thesp Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley), Clare Dunne (Herself [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Clare Dunne
fiche film]), the BAFTA-award-winning Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), and relative newcomers Mia Tharia (September Says [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Ariane Labed
fiche film]) 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.
(Traduit de l'anglais)
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