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With Scotland a big story right across the world just now, we thought we’d take a look at some of the stories told about Scotland. The referendum has inspired much reminiscing about Braveheart but there’s a wealth of other Scottish films out there that too often get overlooked. Our Scottish writers got together to pick out a top ten that we hope will remind you of some old favourites ad inspire you to sek out some exciting new talent.

The hardest thing about compiling this list was, as always, deciding what to leave out. Regrettably the excellent documentary We Are Northern Lights, in which hundreds of Scots provide their own takes on their country, didn’t quite make the grade, and neither did the enchanting Gaelic language fable Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle. Some classics, like Gregory’s Girl and Whisky Galore, inevitably got left on the shelf, but not for want of.

Producer Christopher Young spent 20 years passionately backing unpopular cult films – so how did he end up with The Inbetweeners Movie on his cv?

Call it the Slumdog syndrome, or the King's Speech complex. A massive, unexpected hit movie comes along, outside the precision-engineered channels of the studio system. Obviously the shop-window people – the actors, the director – get a lot out of it. But behind the scenes, the transformation can be even more radical; the producer will suddenly become the most feted figure in the industry. Slumdog Millionaire turned Christian Colson into a major industry player. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman became overnight heavyweights after The King's Speech. Now, a little something called The Inbetweeners Movie, and its £41m box-office take, has instantly turned its Scottish producer, Christopher Young, into the man everyone wants to do business with.

"It's been like night and day," he says. "I can trace it to...

Studio Ghibli, London

If you've never stepped into the universes of Hayao Miyazaki and co, it's time you discovered what you're missing. These aren't just some of the best animated children's movies ever made; they'e some of the best movies full stop. The vibrant fantasy worlds, airborne adventures and noble junior heroes of Studio Ghibli's movies fascinate kids, but they're richer, more challenging and more psychedelically epic than most of what passes for grown-up fantasy. Avatar looks like Mr Men compared to, say, Princess Mononoke – which deals with similar themes with considerably more nuance. Having first championed them 10 years ago, the Barbican brings back Ghibli classics, from Laputa: Castle In The Sky and My Neighbour Totoro (the best one for young viewers), right up to previews of their latest, Arrietty, a version of The Borrowers.

Barbican Screen EC2, Wed to 31 Jul

Liverpool Arabic Fim Festival

Partly as a result of the Arab Spring,...