Scottish writer-director Tom Nicoll is unveling at Toronto his buzzy debut “Salvation.” It tracks an aspiring online life coach whose attempt to reinvent himself and then sell that transformation to others pulls him in increasingly desperate directions.

The psychological and blackly comic thriller world premieres in TIFF’s Discovery section, having already been selected for the BFI and British Council’s Great 8 showcase at Cannes. MetFilm Sales recently boarded world sales on the film, which stars Liam Harkins, Stephen McMillan, Kathleen McDermott and Conor McCarron.

Set largely in Greenock, a post-industrial Scottish town, “Salvation” follows Danny Carlton, played by Harkins, as he emerges from a self-improvement retreat convinced he has found the way forward. Having been transformed, at least in his own mind, by charismatic guru Marshall Allison (Kevin O’Loughlin), Danny sets off to build a life coaching business of his own. The problem is that virtually nobody wants what he is selling while the money he has spent and borrowed pursuing it grows.

For Nicoll, the film was never primarily about finding easy targets in the world of male influencers.

“I suppose, in general, in my life, I’m interested in that idea of what people find purpose in, what people choose to do with their lives, what they find value in, what they choose to put their energy into,” he told Variety. With Danny, that became a question of “what is lacking” to compel someone’s move towards a culture offering answers, status and self-optimization.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever been insulted into changing their mind,” Nicoll explained. “It’s easy to point and laugh at someone.” A sweeping satire of the influencer sphere might provide “easy jokes” for five or ten minutes, he argues, but understanding why somebody is susceptible is the harder and more interesting motivation to pursue.

We see Danny’s excitement and defence of his new found answers among a doubtful circle of family and acquaintances. His confidence might be misplaced, but he isn’t cynical. When he tells Scott, a depressed young man played by Stephen McMillan who comes to see him, all he’s learnt and how he wants to help he’s genuine.

“He really means that when he’s saying that Marshall saved him from a very dark place,” says Nicoll. “That is, I think, a crucial part of the character.” Over the course of the film, “the economic imperative kind of takes over,” altering the relationship between Danny and Scott as the former discovers the wordplay he absorbed as self-help can turn into a tool for manipulation.

The result is a chain of unequal relationships: Marshall has power over Danny, while Danny gains power over Scott. For Nicoll, that dynamic goes beyond any single strain of digital culture.

“Most people could probably relate to the idea of when you go online and someone’s telling you how to eat better or exercise better or be happier, be in a better relationship,” he said. At a moment of insecurity, the promise that somebody else knows how to sort it can prove hard to resist.

Nicoll had previously directed Liam Harkins in short “Lighting Tests” and wrote Danny around a rare combination he saw in the actor: an outwardly conventional masculinity alongside vulnerability, sensitivity and comedic timing.

“I had the idea for the story and thought he would be perfect for the role,” said Nicoll, who sent drafts back and forth to Harkins roughly a year before shooting. “I knew that on a production standpoint, he would just be the rock that could build the production around.”

The relationship at the film’s centre needed warmth as well as exploitation. The director recalls nervously arranging a Zoom between his two leads prior to filming, preparing questions in case conversation petered out.

“I think I probably said about three things in the hour,” he says. “They were just chatting, getting to know each other, and then just talking about the characters.” A later read-through of three key scenes confirmed the chemistry: “It was an amazing one of being like, ‘Oh, we’ve got something here.’”

That closeness is gradually squeezed by the film’s visual language. Working with cinematographer Alex Grigoras, Nicoll chose a 4:3 frame. “We always knew it was going to be a film of faces,” he says. The format offered intimacy and, as Danny’s choices reduce, claustrophobia. Centering him clarifies his self-absorption. He is initially, “the centre of his own world.”

The use of long lenses compress the spaces around him, particularly in the interiors, while stillness releases giving way to unsettled camerawork as the predicament deteriorates. 

Composer Salla Luhtala’s score pushes in almost the opposite direction. At the start, as Danny leaves the retreat filled with new conviction, the music enlarges his modest circumstances matching the way he sees himself.

“It’s like the world is his oyster. That’s what he feels like,” Nicoll explained. “It should feel like he’s reborn. It should feel like new momentum. It should feel like the new life is calling him.” Rather than standing outside Danny and mocking the fantasy, Nicoll wanted audiences pulled into it.

“Salvation” is as Indie as it gets assembled through self-financing and crowdfunding, with Screen Scotland boarding late and providing £45,000 ($60,750) through its Production Growth Fund. Shot around Greenock and Glasgow, the production initially completed 15 days before returning months later for a few more days.

“That’s the nature of independent filmmaking, I suppose,” he says. But the enforced pause became “an amazing opportunity,” allowing a chance to clarify the story and add “scale and cinematic scope at the right moments.”

Nicoll looked to an American independent tradition for ways of making those limitations feel like choices. Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” and earlier work were reference points, as was Kelly Reichardt’s “Old Joy”: films capable of retaining a distinct voice without requiring vast resources.

And what of that word “Salvation”?

“It’s the kind of underpinning, I think, of a lot of these self-help ideas,” says Nicoll. “You can be saved from this thing, and you can move into a kind of hallowed place, or a place free of this previous pain or this previous deficiency. And I don’t know if I believe in that.”

The film isn’t interested in providing a clean, moralistic conclusion. The director prefers films that resist “easy answers,” leaving open the question of whether Danny is capable of deep reflection or likely to place explanations for everything that has happened to him elsewhere.

For a film that Nicoll describes as “an independent film in its bones,” there is buzz around it. MetFilm Sales’ acquisition adds a strong international sales push to a run that has included Great 8 and selection as one of Screen International’s Rising Stars Scotland 2026.

“It’s been pretty wild,” Nicoll said. “It’s pretty much close to best-case scenario” for a film made this way. More importantly, he adds, “it is the film I wanted to make.”

The recognition offers the possibility of scaling up, something the writer-director is keen to pursue as he looks to move beyond the indie and micro-budget level. He has several scripts in various stages, including larger-scale thriller and horror projects. “Ambition can be talked about just as it relates to budget, but I think it’s about your approach to characters and characterisation, and how deep you’re willing to go in terms of excavating what it is to be human,” he says. “That’s what ambition is about in filmmaking to me, and that’s what I would want to take going forward, no matter the level of budget.”

FIRST ON FOX: Africa could become the next major frontier for data centers and Artificial Intelligence, experts say.

The Trump administration is backing and promoting American companies to make AI development, in their words, ‘the gold standard’. The U.S. is trying increasingly to grab business opportunities in Africa, as backlash and environmental restrictions hit data center development in the U.S. and Africa.

“Africa is emerging as a significant potential location for building AI infrastructure, especially as many mature markets face increasing environmental and power constraints,” Abhishek Goyal, Consultant at specialist research group Arizton Advisory & Intelligence, told Fox News Digital.

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He added, “The continent could become the next major frontier for AI infrastructure development. As the U.S. and Europe encounter challenges such as power scarcity, grid congestion, permitting issues and environmental regulations, Africa’s underdeveloped infrastructure presents an opportunity rather than a disadvantage.”

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “We are committed to ensuring that American AI – including enabling infrastructure like data centers – continues to be the gold standard worldwide, and that we remain the partner of choice for foreign governments and businesses who are seeking to upgrade their telecommunications networks and AI capabilities.”

Amongst other deals, this year with U.S. help, an American company has won a $6.2 billion deal in Lesotho in Southern Africa for a data center and hydropower plant.

In the central African country of Gabon, the U.S. Embassy helped win $600 million in business for American companies in 2025. And this year, the embassy in this central African country has assisted in securing a $100 million contract to supply two data centers and a gas-to-power plant, in the face of strong competition from China.

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Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia previously told Fox News Digital, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is assisting U.S. companies to find new markets and flourish in Africa.”

“Africa is experiencing a data center boom, but it begins from a very small base,” Arthur Goldstuck told Fox News Digital. Goldstuck is CEO of South African technology research group World Wide Worx, and author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge.”

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Goldstuck said that because of a lack of capacity currently, “Africa will not replace either market as any kind of center of global computing. Rather, its attraction lies in serving a rapidly growing African cloud market, and processing African data closer to the people and businesses that generate it.

He continued, “Africa also gives U.S. companies access to a cloud and AI market that remains severely under-served. The opportunities extend from operating data centers to supplying AI chips, cooling systems, cybersecurity and power infrastructure. In some countries, a data center can also become the guaranteed customer that makes a new renewable-energy project financially viable. American companies can therefore develop computing capacity and electricity generation together, in partnership with African companies and governments.”

But Goldstuck said that data center growth is fueled by local needs on the continent. “It is a boom by African standards. Africa remains far behind the U.S. and Europe in installed capacity, and weak electricity grids make construction and operation more difficult. Demand is growing rapidly as governments, banks and other large companies seek local cloud and AI services. They increasingly want sensitive information stored within their own countries, which adds momentum to the expansion.”

Arizton’s Goyal added that “countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt are attracting large-scale (AI) projects. 

“The U.S. Government aims,” a State Department spokesperson said, “to offer credible solutions that leverage public and private financing in priority areas, such as emerging technology, which demand that global telecoms networks remain secure for U.S. citizens and business. For example, undersea cables networks are being constructed across the Atlantic, providing more opportunity and connectivity to Africa than ever before.”

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U.S. companies using undersea AI cables to connect with African data centers is a possibility, Goldstuck said, but there are limitations. “Distance creates a slight delay, so African facilities would be less attractive for U.S. services requiring an instant response from American users. They could work well for backups, disaster recovery and some intensive AI processing, provided that the cost, security and legal jurisdiction made sense.”

Analysts say presently, much of Africa lacks regulation and is creating the risk of a wild west approach to business. The South African government recently claimed the country hosts 70% of the continent’s total data center capacity.

But Pitso Tsibolane, senior lecturer in information systems at the University of Cape Town, told Fox News Digital that in South Africa “there is currently no public register of data center facilities, no requirement that operators disclose how much water, electricity and land they will use and no binding commitments against which performance can be measured.”

Tsibolane added, “That gap serves nobody. Communities cannot see what is being traded on their behalf, and responsible operators cannot distinguish themselves from the rest, because nobody’s numbers are on the table. South Africa hosts the majority of Africa’s data center capacity and has a real opportunity to become the jurisdiction that gets this right early: transparent disclosure, an independent factual baseline and predictable approvals. That combination is good for households, good for the grid and good for every investor who intends to be here for the long term.”

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Arizton’s Goyal says the future for Africa could be bright. “Several African countries present a unique opportunity due to their abundant renewable energy potential — such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal sources — as well as available land, lower development costs and fast-growing digital economies.”

Published on 13/09/2026 – 12:20 GMT+2•Updated
12:26

A sea of EU flags seemingly outnumbered Union Jacks during sections of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms show on Saturday night, as the UK’s relationship with Brussels once again finds itself in the spotlight.

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Footage of the event, which is part of a classical music festival held each summer in London, shows a swathe of swirling blue and gold flags across the crowd at the city’s Royal Albert Hall.

The 12 gold stars of the European banner appeared particularly prominent during renditions of songs such as “Land of Hope and Glory,” while images from the venue also show the EU flag hanging from the balconies of the building.

The images have drawn the ire of some on Britain’s right.

Andrew Rosindell, a member of Parliament for the hard-right, anti-immigration Reform UK party, said it was a “wonderful evening, spoilt by selfish pro-EU fanatics” while calling on the BBC to introduce a “flag policy” for the event in the future.

Former Conservative MP Jane Stevenson also accused the show of being “taken over by Remain propaganda pushers.”

The Royal Albert Hall’s official website states that “flags are permitted at the Proms but are traditionally part of the Last Night celebrations provided they do not interfere with the smooth running of the concert.”

Brexit turns 10

Ten years on from the UK’s historic Brexit referendum, the nation’s decision to leave the European Union appears as divisive as ever.

The vote has received renewed attention over the last two years as the ruling Labour party embarked on a campaign to rebuild relations with the EU under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who pledged to “put Britain at the heart of Europe.”

Starmer had agreed a Brexit “reset” with Brussels in 2025 that he said would slash “red tape and bureaucracy” as part of a drive to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and create new jobs.

However, progress has been slow as key differences remain on both sides, with a proposed youth mobility scheme proving to be a particular sticking point.

Talks had been due to continue on the reset in July, but a planned summit was postponed following Starmer’s resignation.

However, Starmer’s successor in Downing Street, Andy Burnham, said in August that Britain must be “bolder” in seeking to rebuild relations with the bloc, according to his office.

Burnham made the comments during a meeting with European Council President António Costa as the pair travelled to Kyiv for a series of events to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.

“The UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc,” Burnham told Costa during the trip, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

“That included building on the close defence and security ties already forged between the UK and European Allies to drive greater cooperation across all areas of the relationship,” he added.