A Tyne Valley Film Festival Screening. See our full programme here.

Based on a true story that’s stranger than fiction, James McAvoy’s directorial debut is the irresistible, feel-good underdog tale of Silibil N’ Brains, the Dundee rap duo, who determined to escape regional prejudice reinvent themselves as a self-confident pair of American MCs to achieve their dreams of hip-hop stardom.

In the early 2000’s, Dundee rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were talented, hungry, but dismissed for sounding "too Scottish" to make it in hip hop. So they hatched an audacious plan: fake American identities, re-record their tracks with Californian accents, and hustle their way into the heart of the UK music industry as “Silibil N’ Brains”—childhood friends of D12 and stars-in-the-making.

To their shock, the plan works. Record deals, media buzz, and gigs with hip hop legends follow. But as their deception deepens, the pressure mounts and cracks begin to show. How long can you live the dream when it’s built on a lie?

With bold humour, raw emotion, and a defiant spirit, CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN’ is a love letter to outsiders, underdogs, and the pursuit of fame—but asks, at what cost.

This is a preview screening, meaning you get to watch this film before its general release!

Please note that Forum Cinema memberships are not valid across Tyne Valley Film Festival screenings.