This is a fantastic result for an Irish documentary, which was made on a tiny budget of €100,000. Opening on week one on just €40,000, this word of mouth success has now grossed an impressive 7.5 times this amount. HIS & HERS has now surpassed such well known Irish films as Neil Jordan’s ONDINE & the Oscar winning ONCE. The Light House Cinema in Smithfield, which champions the work of original and creative film makers are also delighted with the success of HIS & Hers as it is now their most successful film they have ever screened there.

Speaking on the success of the film, Head of Distribution at Element Pictures Audrey Sheils says that

“After falling in love with HIS & HERS in DIFF we knew that if we could just get people into see this film, then the emotion, tears and laughter that this film generates would spread across the country. Opening on just 8 prints we hoped for success but nothing could have prepared us for what it has achieved. We never thought we’d still be in cinemas 12 weeks after release and are delighted to have been part of the journey with Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman”

His & Hers is a cinematic mosaic that tells a 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 ladies different stages in their lives & His & won the Audience award in the Dublin International Film Festival, The Feature Award in the Galway Film Fleadh, an IFTA for Best Feature Documentary and the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.

For full list of cinemas showing HIS & HERS click here

HIS & HERS will be released on DVD on October 15th

Other Element Pictures titles that have previously screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, include Garage, The Magdalene Sisters, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Cracks to name but a few. The Festival takes places from September 9th – 19th 2010.

Essential Killing, directed by veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, and starring Vincent Gallo (ARIZONA DREAM, BUFFALL0 66) and Emmanuelle Seigner (THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY, LA VIE EN ROSE), will screen as part of the Masters programme inToronto which selects the latest films from the world’s most renowned and respected filmmakers.

Essential Killing is a provocative thriller that tells the story of an Afghan man, captured by American forces in Kabul, who finds himself transported to a nameless European country. He manages to escape into the vast frozen woodland, a world away from the desert home he knew. Forced into extreme survival mode, he must kill anyone who strays into his path.

The script was written by Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska, and produced by Skopia Film in co-production with Element Pictures. An Irish/Polish/Norwegian/Hungarian co-production, the film was partly funded by the Irish Film Board and was shot in Israel, Poland and Norway with the sound post-production in Ireland.

Irish audiences will get an opportunity to see Essential Killing in cinemas when it goes on theatrical release later this year through Element Pictures Distribution.

Essential Killing, directed by veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, and starrring Vincent Gallo (ARIZONA DREAM, BUFFALL0 66) and Emmanuelle Seigner (THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY,LA VIE EN ROSE), will have its world premiere screening at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, which takes place from September 1st-11th 2010.

Essential Killing is a provocative thriller that tells the story of an Afghan man, captured by American forces in Kabul, who finds himself transported to a nameless European country. He manages to escape into the vast frozen woodland, a world away from the desert home he knew. Forced into extreme survival mode, he must kill anyone who strays into his path.

The script was written by Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska, and produced by Skopia Film in co-production with Element Pictures. An Irish/Polish/Norwegian/Hungarian co-production, the film was partly funded by the Irish Film Board and was shot in Israel, Poland and Norway with the sound post-production in Ireland.

Speaking on behalf of Element Pictures, Producer Andrew Lowe said “ We are delighted that Venice is honouring Jerzy Skolimowski by selecting Essential Killing for competition, and we are particularly pleased for the small Irish crew who played a key creative role in the making of the film, together with Ardmore Sound who did such a wonderful job on the sound post production. This was all made possible by the support of the Irish Film Board, and in particular its Chief Executive, Simon Perry. The last time that Element Pictures was in Venice was in 2002 with The Magdalene Sisters, which went on to win the Golden Lion that year, so it is exciting to be back for the World Premiere of Essential Killing.”

Irish audiences will get an opportunity to see Essential Killing in cinemas when it goes on theatrical release later this year through Element Pictures Distribution.

HIS & HERS continues in the top ten of the EDI charts, where it competes with new Hollywood releases such as SHREK FOREVER AFTER & GET HIM TO THE GREEK. Outside of the usual cinema’s, His & Hers was also part of an access>CINEMA & Cinemobile tour which concentrated on bringing the film to the people of the midlands.

Oscar-winning director Michael Moore (BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, FAHRENHEIT 911) is a huge fan of the film and says it’s “One of the most moving and original films I’ve seen this year. No one has ever made a documentary like this one. In a summer of tired and stale movies from Hollywood, ‘His and Hers’ is a breath of fresh air blowing in from the midlands of Ireland.”

Mr Moore is not alone is his thinking, as HIS & HERS received rave reviews from all Irish film critics; ‘Must-see Irish film of 2010’ – Sunday World, ‘Very possibly the best Irish film we’ll see this year ‘ - Irish Independent & ‘The essential Irish movie of 2010’ - Sunday Tribune.

Speaking on the success of the film , Director Ken Wardrop & Producer Andrew Freedman said “It’s incredibly exciting to have received such positive reactions from both critics and cinema-goers to our first film HIS & HERS. As Irish filmmakers, it’s particularly encouraging to see a small film like “His & Hers” finding a large audience here at home.”

His & Hers is a cinematic mosaic that tells a 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 ladies at different stages in their lives. His & Hers won the Audience award in the Dublin International Film Festival, The Feature Award in the Galway Film Fleadh, an IFTA for Best Feature Documentary and the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.

For full list of cinemas and other venues showing His & Hers, check out the website

ZONAD is from space…probably. Or so the Cassidy family assume when they discover him passed out on their living room carpet and why wouldn’t they? He has a red latex suit, a visor on his helmet and a cholesterol level that’s off the scale. Offering to put him up during his mission to earth, the Cassidy’s make ZONAD feel very welcome – and in the case of mother Mary and teenage minx Jenny, they make him feel very welcome indeed…

Or at least they do until fleet commander BONAD arrives – all shiny and new in a blue satin jumpsuit – and then we’re locked into a collision path of earth shattering proportions.

Special features include: Directors’ Commentary, Outtakes, Love Songs by Zonad, Deleted Scenes and Short Film.

ZONAD (cert. 15) will be released in Ireland on DVD (€14.99) by Element Pictures Distribution on Friday 18th June. Pre-order your copy now from the Element Pictures Distribution Shop

Zonad, an Irish movie that struggled to strike a chord with domestic critics and cinema audiences, has proved a success at the annual Cannes film festival, which ends today.

The low-budget comedy, directed by John Carney, maker of the Oscar-winning Once, and starring Simon Delaney, has secured international distribution. American critics were more impressed than their Irish colleagues when Zonad was screened at the Tribeca film festival in New York last month, then a deal for worldwide distribution was announced last week after it was scooped up by The Works International.

The film tells the story of an escaped convict who fools an Irish village into believing he is an extraterrestrial. The company plans to sell it in all territories. “I think the zany humour can travel well, so we hope to sell it everywhere. The comedy is multi-layered but much of it is physical rather than verbal, which means it has a better chance to cross cultural borders. Everyone finds the central concept hilarious,” said Carl Clifton, managing director of The Works International.

Three other films with Irish interest also managed to tie down deals at Cannes. The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Hotel Rwanda, closed several international sales despite still being in the post-production stage.

The makers of the movie, shot in Galway last year, held a 15-minute promotional screening at the festival. That was enough to secure distribution deals across Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

All Good Children, a film about two Irish brothers sent to France after their mother’s death, and This Must Be the Place, an Irish co-production starring two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn, were also picked up.

Cinéart bought the rights to the Benelux distribution of both movies. This Must Be the Place, which will be shot in Dublin this summer, is now likely to confirm a wider release after the festival.

Trade press reports from the world’s best-known film festival said the recession had made it more difficult for producers to secure distribution rights for films.

Ed Guiney, a producer on Zonad, said the film industry has been hit as much as any other sector and that selling movies was a lot easier a few years ago. He said that he had been “a little underwhelmed” by the Irish public’s response to Zonad but was confident that it would do well abroad.

The Irish Film Board said that this year’s Irish pavilion had seen strong international interest in the country as a shooting location from directors and producers.

Ireland has previously had success at Cannes with Lenny Abrahamson’s Garage picking up the Art and Essai prize in 2007 and The Wind That Shakes the Barley winning the Palme d’Or, the highest honour, in 2006.

Jack Gleeson receives high praise for his portrayal of Dara from Variety magazine; “Thesping is strong, particularly by the youngsters, but Gleeson, with his massive blue eyes and anxious, ever-hopeful expression, is the pic’s big discovery”

Screen comments that Alicia Duffy “has crafted a delicately atmospheric film, that while relatively straightforward in structure, tackles complex emotions.”

The Guardian notes that “Duffy’s movie has the trance-like evocation of mood and detail to be found in the work of Lynne Ramsay and Duane Hopkins; it is a parable for the emotional discrepancy between male and female adolescence, for the loneliness of boyhood and perhaps, at a deeper level, the combustible proximity of Ireland and England.”

All Good Children will be released in Irish Cinemas in 2010 by Element Pictures Distribution

Element Pictures Distribution will be launching Volta – a Video on Demand platform for Ireland this summer. Volta is a founding member of EuroVoD, along with six other European partners - the VoD platforms: UniversCiné (Belgium), UniversCiné (France), Good!Movies (Germany), Filmin (Spain), and the production companies: Blind Spot Pictures (Finland) and Bord Cadre Films (Switzerland)

Volta will offer a secure and easy way for Irish audiences to stream or download the best of independent Irish and International cinema straight to their desktop. As well as popular new releases, Volta will offer a catalogue of classic Irish films and exclusive international titles to rent or to buy.

The objectives of EuroVoD are:

• To pool resources and achieve cost-efficiency for its members (in the fields of promotion, technology, sourcing suppliers, etc…)
• To build a common catalogue of films available to all the territories of the Federation
• To increase the transnational circulation of films
• To benchmark the best services in the sector
• To exchange know-how and technical expertise between its members
• To promote art-house films and new talent
• To promote Video on Demand (VoD) as a channel of distribution for independent film

EPD was set up in August 2007 with a view to bringing the very best of ground-breaking cinema to Ireland. EPD theatrical and DVD releases will soon be available online through Volta and titles will include the award-winning Irish film Garage, the critically acclaimed film Kisses, the much loved Adam & Paul, Marian Quinn’s 32A, Waveriders, The Yellow Bittern, Zonad, The Craic, and Conspiracy Of Silence.

All Good Children is directed by Alicia Duffy and tells the story of Dara, a young Irish boy who is moved to rural France with his brother Eoin after the death of their mother. There, the boys befriend a local English family and the vulnerable Dara falls under the spell of their young daughter Bella, but when she begins to pull away, Dara’s feelings for her start to get out of hand…

All Good Children hypnotically plays out in the gap between childhood and adulthood, between childish fantasy and adult reality.

Speaking on All Good Children’s selection, Element’s Ed Guiney said

‘Following on from Garage in 2007 we are delighted to be back at the Quinzaine with a wonderful debut film from a truly gifted film maker. It’s the perfect way to launch the film to the world and we are particularly delighted for Alicia on this great achievement.’

All Good Children is an Irish/Belgian/French co-production, produced by Jonathan Cavendish for Element Pictures, Artemis Productions and Cinema Defacto and made with the support of the Irish Film Board, CRRAV Nord-pas de Calais, Communauté Français de Belgique, Région Wallonie and Eurimages.

All Good Children will be released in Irish Cinemas in 2010 by Element Pictures Distribution

His & Hers is a cinematic mosaic that tells a 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 ladies at different stages in their lives.

The hallways, living rooms, and kitchens of the Irish midlands become the canvas for the film’s rich tapestry of female characters. The story unfolds sequentially from young to old, and the characters are charmingly unabashed; while the younger contributors are animated in discussing their relationships with their other halves, the older women describe their love, and often their bereft love, with grace and candor.

His & Hers celebrates the ordinary moments that add up to the extraordinary. Individually each piece works on its own, but together they create an emotional portrait that explores the way we share life’s journey with others.

“The making of this film has been an incredible journey for all involved. It’s fitting that the next leg of this journey will be an Irish release. It’s very exciting to finally see it on the big screen where we believe the film belongs and will be most appreciated.” Ken Wardrop (Director)

“Following its recent festival run and awards, we’re proud to have the opportunity to introduce His & Hers to Irish audiences this summer. We’re confident cinema goers will be charmed and captivated by the Irish women and their universal story at the heart of this film.” Andrew Freedman (Producer Venom Film)

“This beautiful love story about the women of Ireland and the love of the men in their lives, be that fathers, boyfriends, husbands or son’s deserves to be seen by the communities of Ireland and we are delighted to be given the opportunity to make this happen“ Audrey Sheils (Head of Distribution, Element Pictures Distribution).

His & Hers won the Audience award in the Dublin International Film Festival, The Feature Award in the Galway Film Fleadh, an IFTA for Best Feature Documentary and the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.