One of Scotland's most acclaimed authors, James Kelman, is to make his first foray into the world of film with a new musical road movie set in the United States.

Dirt Road to Lafayette sees Kelman - winner of the Booker Prize for How Late It Was, How Late and the Book of the Year for his latest work, Kieron Smith, Boy - writing a film script about a boy and his father as they travel across the southern states of America.

In what is described as a "coming of age" story, the couple travel to visit Scottish relatives following the premature death of the boy's mother.

The film, which will feature a large amount of music although stopping just short of being a full "musical", sees the boy rebelling against his father and his American family and "discovering his independence through music".

Kelman's script shows the boy - as yet unnamed and not cast, as is the rest of the movie - being introduced to accordion-led Zydeco music that "blows his mind". The movie will also feature a lot of blues, traditional Scots and Irish music, and a plethora of American roots music.

The musical genre and southern US locale is a step away from the realistic Glasgow often depicted in Kelman's work.

The movie will be made by the production company of Scottish director Kenny Glenaan, who made the acclaimed movie Summer.

His television film Gas Attack, which imagined such a catastrophe in Glasgow, won the Michael Powell award for Best British Film at Edinburgh in 2001 and he has also directed Attachments and Spooks.

The Dirt Road to Lafayette has been given an £18,750 investment from the national film agency, Scottish Screen, to develop it further. On location in Louisiana for a research trip, Glenaan told The Herald: "A Scottish father and son who travel across America to visit their relatives after a death in the family. The son plays accordion. Traditional music mostly.

"On the trip he is introduced to Zydeco music, a hybrid accordion-led musical form which borrows from all, and it blows his mind and changes the course of his life.

"The film incorporates blues, traditional Scots/Irish, cajun, Tex-Mex, creole and Zydeco music. It is not quite a musical, but more of a road trip with music."

Cajun music and Zydeco are closely related kinds of music in Louisiana, and both use accordions and often fiddles.

While Cajun is seen as the sound of the rural white population of the deep south, influenced by European folk and especially French traditions, Zydeco is regarded, in its original form, as the sound of the local black population. The music has more resemblance to jazz and blues than Cajun, and has a driving rhythm led by accordions and washboards.

Also given money by Scottish Screen this week are Independent Film Productions Ltd, awarded £17,000 for the development of new feature-length animated version of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Directed and produced by Richard Jobson, whose recent film is New Town Killers and also made 16 Years of Alcohol, it will involve Dougray Scott as the voice of Macbeth and Brian Cox as King Duncan.

Nik Taylor, one of the principle designers of Grand Theft Auto at BAFTA Scotland award-winning company Rockstar North, will lead the team of animators working on the project.

Goosepimple Productions received £14,974 for the development of feature-length documentary To Have and To Hold.

Directed by Scottish graphic artist, DJ, club promoter and first-time feature filmmaker Jonnie Lyle, To Have and To Hold is a 90-minute "musicmentory" that will document the passing of the vinyl age and capture a way of life that made a significant cultural impact worldwide.

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