Neil Armstrong & the Langholmites

Neil Armstrong came back from the Moon in 1969, but it wasn’t until three years later when the people of a tiny Scottish town stepped in, that he finally got home.

This 2025 short film by Duncan Cowles tells the lesser known story of the first man on the moon.

Synopsis

Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites is a film about the day one of the world’s most famous men visited the small ‘burgh’ of Langholm and the profound emotional effect the place, and its people, had on the normally stoic astronaut. From Industria Studios and Duncan Cowles, director of acclaimed 2024 feature Silent Men, comes a wry and beautiful slice of Scottish life and a unique, lesser-known tale about one of America’s most famous sons.

Details

Year: 2025
Length: 17 min 45 sec
Format: 4k, HD, Digital, DCP
Director: Duncan Cowles
Producer: Jake Cunningham, Sophie Butler
Production Company: Industria Studios
Executive Producer: Anthony Noguera
Editor: Erika Iesse
Cinematography: Duncan Cowles, Edward Allen, Beverley Bruce-Mills
Music: Jeremy Warmsley

Awards

Long-listed – BIFA Award – Best Short Film 2025
Special Mention – Best British Short, Leeds International Film Festival
Nominated – The List Festival Awards 2025 – Best Scottish Film

Official Selection

06/25 – Tribeca Film Festival (USA) – World Premiere
08/25 – Edinburgh International Film Festival (UK) – UK Premiere
10/25 – Dinard Festival of British & Irish Film (France)
10/25 – Folkestone Doc Fest, (UK)
10/25 – Uppsala Short Film Festival (Sweden)
11/25 – Leeds International Film Festival (UK)
11/25 – Inverness Film Festival (UK)
11/25 – Cork International Film Festival (Ireland)
11/25 – PÖFF, Black Night Film Festival (Estonia)