Two of the UK's leading young actors, Jack Lowden and Martin McCann, are starring in a new movie which has begun shooting in Scotland this month.

Lowden, who appeared in War and Peace and Tommy's Honour, and McCann, who was in '71, are starring in Calibre, a thriller directed by Matt Palmer.

Filming has begun on location in Beecraigs National Park, West Lothian, this week, with a cast also featuring Tony Curran and Iain Pirie.

Read more: Leonard Cohen dies aged 82

The film is produced by Wellington Films and has received financial backing from Creative Scotland and Creative England, among others.

The movie "follows two life-long friends on a weekend trip to a remote Scottish village that descends into a never-ending nightmare as they attempt to cover up a horrific hunting accident."

It is the feature debut of Edinburgh based writer and director Matt Palmer.

In a statement, producers Alastair Clark and Anna Griffin said: “This has been seven and a half years in the making and we’ve had some incredible support to get us to this point.

Read more: Leonard Cohen dies aged 82

"Having made two short films with Matt we’re now just so thrilled that Calibre is finally happening and with such a stellar cast and brilliantly talented crew.”

Natalie Usher, director of screen at Creative Scotland, said: “We are proud to support this thriller set in the Scottish wilderness and are particularly pleased because Calibre is the debut feature from Scottish writer/director, Matt Palmer.

"This is an exciting time for Wellington Films following the success of Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levelling and we are delighted that they are continuing to work with Scottish talent."

Paul Ashton, Senior Executive for Development and Production at Creative England, said: “This has been a fruitful collaboration for Creative England and Creative Scotland.

Read more: Leonard Cohen dies aged 82

"Wellington’s profile as a talent-driven English regional production company grows by the day, and this has been a great way to support Matt as a writer-director who divides his working life between England and Scotland – by allowing him to do just that throughout development and production, and not fall between the cracks sometimes created by the borders between funding regions. This project is a real celebration of film talent in the UK."