It has been 20 years since the dark, witty humour of Scottish movie classic, Orphans, created and directed by famous Scottish actor, Peter Mullan. Upon its release in May 1999 it made quite the impression on the pantheon of Scottish cinema.

The gritty and surprisingly funny film was Mullan’s first feature film and received huge praise. Now two decades on the cast and crew meet again in BBC Scotland documentary Orphans Reunited.

Orphans was set on the southside of Glasgow, on the streets where Mullan grew up. The documentary sees him take viewers on a tour of the area and Orphan filming locations. BBC Scotland’s channel manager and commissioning executive Tony Nellany said the film was “a part of our filmic history and 20 years on, it is a fitting opportunity to celebrate it".

Described as a ‘black comedy’, Orphan’s main theme of grief features the extreme and erratic actions of the dysfunctional Flynn family. Mullan has said the characters in the film are a representation of the different stages of mourning he felt when he lost his mother. The film follows the four siblings very different experiences throughout the night before their mother’s funeral.

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The oldest, Thomas (Gary Lewis) refuses to leave his mother’s coffin all night while Michael (Douglas Henshall) ends up in a fight and is stabbed. John, the third brother played by Stephan McCole spends the entirety of the night seeking revenge for his brother’s stabbing. The one and only daughter, Shelia, played by Rosemarie Stevenson is disabled with cerebral palsy, ventures out on the streets by her-self.

Looking back at the film’s success, Glasgow-born Rosemarie, 46 talked with fondness of her time spent filming Orphans. “I didn’t think for a moment that I would get the opportunity to do it," she said. "Being a first-time actress, it was a fantastic thing for me and I’m glad I never passed it up.”

Rosemarie’s name was put forward for the film by the leader of a group she was part of that helped people with disabilities, which is how she met the director. She described him as being amazing to work with.

She added: “He was very down to earth; Peter saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and I am forever grateful to him for believing in me.”

The original film cast have not been altogether since the filming of Orphans finished. Rosemarie said she was reunited with them nearly 20 years on, to film the new BBC Scotland documentary. Talking affectionately about her fellow cast members, she described working with professional actors as nerve-racking and sometimes hard but when they began filming, she soon realised “the fact that I was disabled was forgotten and they just treated me like part of a family.”

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Orphans is regarded widely as a quirky, raw and darkly amusing film in European cinema. When asked why she thought the film was so well received Rosemarie said it was "because of Peter and the fantastic writer that he is, he put normal people in his film.”

The film’s coarse relatability to the ordinary lives of people in Glasgow struck a chord with many and it remains highly praised today.

Rosemarie talked eloquently about her cerebral palsy and how she does not believe it hugely affects her life.

She said she saw similarities between herself and her character, Shelia. She added: “I can empathise with the fear, the loneliness, the helplessness, she was very strong, vulnerable but determined and I suppose that is me.”

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Candidly, she explained how she tries not to view her disability as a negative but more of a positive thing. “I think it made me a stronger person. Everybody has a dream, go for it, that’s what I say.”

Orphans Reunited will be on BBC Scotland tomorrow at 9pm followed by a screening of Orphans at 10pm.