Belle and Sebastian singer writes, scores and directs musical film

God Help The Girl is a musical feature film, written and directed by Stuart Murdoch, lead singer of the group Belle and Sebastian.

It was produced by Barry Mendel (The Royal Tenenbaums, Bridesmaids, Life Aquatic etc.) and stars Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray. The film marks the fruition of a project that began over 5 years ago with Murdoch's girl-group God Help The Girl.

Stuart aspired to tell the story of "a better summer, or at least a summer when something happened. It happened to a boy and a girl and a girl in a city roughly the same size and population of Glasgow. Perhaps the canals were a bit grimier, the high-rise buildings taller, the streets emptier when you needed them to be, and the beat clubs busier than the ones around here. But on the whole the city was this one."

According to Barry Mendel, "It's a simple story – about the brief moment after you've realised what you want to do with your life, before your dream settles into becoming your job, when you're filled with enthusiasm, meeting like-minded friends and the possibilities are endless."

The film was shot, edited, scored and mixed in Glasgow over the course of 2012-2013 and will be released in UK cinemas on 29th August, worldwide from September 2014. The Soundtrack will be released via Milan Music (Warner UK) on16th August 2014.

Prior to the release:

Sat 16 Aug
Playing in cinemas across the UK for one night only: Special preview of God Help The Girl, followed by satellite broadcast from the Corn Exchange Edinburgh, where Belle & Sebastian will feature in a special God Help The Girl-themed musical set to a live audience, 30-40 mins of which will be beamed live via satellite into participating cinemas. Fans at the live gig will enjoy a full musical presentation, that will run beyond the cinema broadcast, an immersive experience with areas around the venue dressed to reflect the themes of the movie and the chance to see the film in a pop-up cinema.

Sat 22 Aug
One week exclusive play at Glasgow Film Theatre

Sat 29 Aug
Nationwide theatrical release