Irish FIlm Board

Screen Training Ireland Sector Skills Survey

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:01:00 -0500

Screen Training Ireland and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board have been working closely over the past few months developing a strategy which will encourage the creative development of the Irish Screen Sectors over the next three to four years.

Screen Training Ireland have prepared a questionnaire and would encourage you to respond online or by clicking on this link. The questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete and will be open until 5pm on Friday the 7^th of June. All responses are anonymous. Alongside the survey STI will also be consulting with key industry stakeholders in order to develop a clear coherent Training Strategy.

Screen Training Ireland will continue to deliver key training initiatives and provide advice and assistance to individuals in relation to the training landscape in Ireland and on an international level. The Bursary Award scheme remains open to applicants who are interested in
availing of relevant training and/or work placements internationally.

We will also deliver two key European training initiatives in 2013/14; VFX: Script to Screen and Screen Leaders. Some sessions from these programmes will be open to the wider industry locally and internationally.

We aim to encourage talent, creativity and enterprise through all our training interventions. Irish industry professionals will continue to have access to Irish and international industry experts as part of their training.

For further information please contact Criona Sexton. T: +353 1 6077437

E: criona.sexton@screentrainingireland.ie

Notice: Change to Funding Application Deadline

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:46:00 -0500

Bord Scannán na hÉireann /the Irish Film Board wishes to notify all producers of a change to the next production funding application deadline. The deadline for receipt of applications for consideration at the next meeting in early July will be by close of business Friday the 7^th of June.

The normal procedure still applies; producers should consult the How To Apply section on the relevant funding page on the website prior to making an application for further information.

Please note that this applies to applications for Production Funding Only - Fiction Irish Production, Animation and Documentary, Creative Co-Production, Completion Funding and Distribution Funding. It does not apply to Development Funding applications, the upcoming deadlines for which will be May 31^st2013.

Irish Films Screening and Selling in the Cannes Film Market and Festival

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:15:00 -0500

The Irish film industry will travel to the Cannes International Film Festival this week as many Irish filmmakers and industry professionals are expected to attend the world's largest film market, which takes place from 14th-26th May.

Ireland will be represented at the festival by the Bord Scannán a hÉireann/the Irish Film Board funded Irish Sci-fi film THE LAST DAYS ON MARS, directed by Irish Academy Award® nominee Ruairí Robinson, which will have its world premiere in the prestigious Director's Fortnight category.

This year there will be over 20 Irish films screening and selling in the Cannes market including RUN & JUMP directed by Steph Green which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, LIFE'S A BREEZE starring Pat Shortt, THE STAG starring Amy Huberman, Hugh O'Conor and Andrew Scott. FRANK, the latest film from Lenny Abrahamson and LOVE ETERNAL, directed by Brendan Muldowney who previously directed the critically acclaimed SAVAGE. Other feature films which will be selling at the market include the romantic comedy STANDY directed by Ronan and Rob Burke starring Mad Men actress Jessica Pare along with Brian Gleeson, DARK TOUCH starring Missy Keating and KELY+VICTOR starring Antonia Campbell-Hughes.

Over 150 Irish film delegates are expected to travel to the market, aiming to finance and sell their slate of films. The market is a key destination for anyone looking to source finance for independent feature films and provides an opportunity for Irish producers to meet with international film financiers, sales agents and film distributors in order to get their films financed, sold and seen by audiences in territories all over the world.

The Irish Pavilion in Cannes is the focal point for the Irish industry and is set up to promote Irish film to the international community, to market Ireland as a destination for large international film projects and to provide business support for the Irish industry.

THE LAST DAYS ON MARS is co-produced by Fantastic Films with finance from Bord Scannán na hÉireann /the Irish Film Board.

‘Saving the Titanic’ wins three awards at the British Independent Film Festival

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:51:00 -0500

The awards keep rolling in for Tile Films' acclaimed drama-documentary "Saving the Titanic". Over the past fortnight, the film has received recognition at two major awards ceremonies in the U.K. It won three awards at the British Independent Film Festival, held at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Street, London, on Saturday May 4th: Best Director (Maurice Sweeney), Best Supporting Actor (Ciaran McMenamin) and Best Feature Film (Stephen Rooke). This resounding endorsement comes shortly after "Saving the Titanic" scooped the award for Best Feature-length Drama at the Celtic Media Festival, held at Swansea on April 24th-26th.

The British Independent Film Festival's stated aim is "to encourage that ardent and resourceful spirit that drives filmmakers to create work even when it seems impossible". Producer Stephen Rooke feels that this spirit was very much in evidence during the making of "Saving the Titanic": "Telling the story of what happened to the engineering crew on the Titanic's maiden voyage was always going to be an ambitious undertaking. We wouldn't have been able to produce this film if it hadn't been for the strong support of the Irish Film Board, RTÉ and the BAI's Sound & Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme. But it was a difficult process, because we had to pull the rest of the finance together from a variety of sources and ultimately we had an extremely tight budget for a very ambitious film. So it's brilliant to get this recognition for all involved." For director Maurice Sweeney, the awards are a powerful endorsement not only of his own work, but also that of the film's outstanding cast and crew: "For myself, it's brilliant to get the best director gong. But for the film to scoop three awards overall is a major triumph and another important acknowledgment of the fantastic Irish cast and crew who worked on the project. I thought the cast in particular were outstanding, and while it would be hard to praise one actor over another, Ciarán McMenamin was an absolute tour-de-force as Fred Barrett. I'm delighted to see him receive the Best Supporting Actor award."

"Saving the Titanic" is currently being screened in 12 cinemas across the UK as part of the British Independent Film Festival.

The film also received the Best Feature-length Drama award at the Celtic Media Festival, held in Swansea on April 24th-28th. In nabbing the award, "Saving the Titanic" beat off strong competition from Welsh feature film "The Gospel of Us", starring Hollywood actor and BAFTA award-winner Michael Sheen.

Other recent awards garnered by "Saving the Titanic" include the coveted Gold World Medal Award for best docudrama at the New York Festivals, and the Award of Excellence: feature film at the Accolade Competition in California.

"Saving the Titanic" was produced by Tile Films in Dublin and is a co-production with Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion in Germany, produced in association with Bord Scannán Na hÉireann/Irish Film Board, RTÉ, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland - Sound and Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme, Windmill Lane Pictures Ltd., Section 481 - Ireland's Film Investment Scheme, AETN/History UK, ZDF and ZDFE Enterprises. International distribution is handled by ZDF Enterprises.

Full Programme of Guth Gafa Films Now Available Online

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:05:00 -0500

Guth Gafa is proud to announce the programme for their 7th International Documentary Festival, which includes some of the top documentaries in the world. In the line up are 17 international feature documentaries from 14 different countries, many of which have won the top awards around the world, seven Irish feature docs and a selection of outstanding Irish shorts. A total of 27 filmmakers are so far confirmed to attend and present their films at Guth Gafa which will be held for the first time in the village of Malin in the Inishowen peninsula of Donegal between the 16th and 19th May.

The 2013 Guth Gafa continues its commitment to human rights driven films with a programme that shines the spotlight on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Films about human fragility, musical genius, and isolated communities fighting for survival, feature strongly in the programme.

Included in this year's bill are a number of films that have proven to be the best recent examples of international documentary film making, and have won accolades in top international festivals and award ceremonies world-wide:

Emmy award-winning director, Alan Berliner's First Cousin Once Removed, winner of the Best Feature Documentary competition at IDFA, the largest and most prestigious documentary festival in the world, More Than Honey, by Markus Imhoof, winner of both Swiss and German Film Prizes for Best Documentary 2013, Blood Brother, winner of both Grand Jury prize for Documentary and an Audience Award at Sundance 2013, Winter Nomads, winner of the European Film Award for 2012, A river Changes Course, winner of World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2013, Matthews Law, winner of the Grand Prix for Best Feature Documentary at Visions du Reel, and Searching for Sugarman, winner of the Oscar for Best documentary at this year's Academy Awards.

A selection of films will also be screening in Derry, as part of our partnership with Derry-Londonderry City of Culture 2013.

Audiences will be taken to locations as varied as Switzerland, Israel, Azerbaijan, Africa, India and Cambodia to discover stories as wildly contrasting as a young man's escape from the brutality of a North Korean labour camp in Camp 14: Total Control Zone, and a teenager's 'escape' from the boredom and isolation of a remote village in the Arctic Circle in Village At The End of The World. Attending to discuss his film, will be Marc Weisewhich is supported by the Goethe Insitut

In the remarkable Wrong Time Wrong Place, John Appel examines the role played by coincidence and fate in the 2011 terrorist attack on Oslo and Utoya in which 77 lives were lost, by speaking to survivors.

The charming Winter Nomads tracks shepherds, Carole and Pascal as they embark on a 6,000 kilometre trek through Switzerland with a flock of sheep in a winter grazing ritual as old as time.

The Summit by Irish film maker, Nick Ryan focuses on the world's most dangerous mountain, K2 and the 2008 tragedy which claimed the lives of 11 climbers including heroic Irish mountaineer, Ger McDonnell.

The Finnish film, Soundbreaker profiles Finland's most vibrant and daring composer and accordionist, Kimmo Pohjonen as he breaks all the rules and shatters everything you know about the accordion. The remarkable Pohjonen, who has composed and toured with the Kronos Quartet and other famous musical names, comes to Ireland for the first time to play a live gig at the Foyle Theatre in Derry, after the screening of the film on his life. This is a gig you will not want to miss.

Among the selection of short films screening will be the world premiere of the TG4-funded film, Ponydance, by Derek O'Connor, about the Belfast-based dance troupe of the same name.

With almost all the directors in attendance this year, Guth Gafa continues to provide a forum for films have always provoked heated discussion, and the festival has become known as a place for young and experienced filmmakers to meet with their audience to discuss their work in extended Q & As that usually continue into the pubs and cafés.

This year's programme of films promises to continue that tradition.

See the Guth Gafa website for the full list of films

Guth Gafa is supported by The Irish Film Board, The Arts Council of Ireland, Derry-Londonderry City of Culture, Inishowen Partnership, BAI, Failte Ireland, LEADER, Donegal County Council, Goethe Institut and Associated Newspapers

Irish Films Screening @ Cannes 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:42:00 -0500

For a full list of films screening and selling at the Cannes Film Festival, download the pdf on this page.

Irish Films Selling @ Cannes 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:23:00 -0500

For a full list of Irish films selling at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 download the pdf on this page which includes Sales Agent details.

Ken Loach to Film in Ireland this Summer

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:47:00 -0500

‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley' director Ken Loach is set to return to Ireland this summer to film a new feature film inspired by Jimmy Gralton.

The film entitled JIMMY'S HALL will see Loach team up with Barley screenwriter Paul Laverty and producer Rebecca O'Brien to tell the story of Leitrim man Jimmy Gralton. In 1921 Jimmy and his pals built a dancehall at a rural crossroads in Ireland, which turns out to be a big mistake...

The film is set to film in Ireland in the late summer and will be produced by Sixteen Films, Element Pictures and French partners, Why Not and Wild Bunch. Financiers include Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.

Loach previously directed ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley' which was set in Ireland around the war of independence. The film picked up the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was released to critical acclaim and box office success in 2006.

Four IFB Funded Shorts Screen at Newport Beach Film Festival This Week

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:06:00 -0500

Four films funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board are screening in the Newport Beach Film Festival in California this week. Jonny Boy, I Can't See You Anymore, The Boy in the Bubble and Un Peu Plus will all screen to Californian audiences at the festival.

Directed by Laura Way and co-written with Shirley Weir who produced for Stitch Films, Jonny Boy stars Jon Polito and follows Jonny as he lovingly reassures his wife on her deathbed. Determined to reveal the burden she has been carrying for their 35 year marriage, she confesses a secret which opens a door to Jonny's past, bringing her life, and his, in full circle.

Caroline Morahan and David Murray star in I Can't See You Anymore directed by Michael Kinirons and written by Thomas Martin. Having woken up from a coma after an accident, psychotherapist Aidan Clifford is forced to confront the consequences of his own actions. The film was produced by Ailish Bracken for Blinder Films.

Ailish also produced Un Peu Plus, written and directed by Conor Ferguson. In this charming short proud Madame Rousseau embarks on an epic journey to eat cakes with sweet abandon. But life has some bittersweet lessons to teach her.

Kealan O'Rourke's short animation The Boy In The Bubble uses the voice of Alan Rickman to tell the story of Rupert, a 10 year old boy, who falls hopelessly in love for the first time. When it all goes terribly wrong, he wishes never to experience heartache again. Turning to a book of magic, he invokes a spell to shield him from emotion forever. It was produced by Brian Willis for Igloo Films.

Newport Beach Film Festival takes place April 25^th - May 2^nd.

Celebrating 20 years Investing in Irish Filmmaking Talent, Creativity and Enterprise

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:30:00 -0500

We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board with a number of events happening over the next six month period. The celebrations will kick off this weekend with special Irish film related events at the Irish Film Institute. We hope that you can make some of the Film Galas, a wide range of short film screenings and panel discussion events all focused on the creative talent working in the Irish film industry at the moment.

Find out what screenings will be taking place this weekend

More information about the free screenings of Irish shorts

Free Public Panel Events happening over the weekend

Irish Psychological Horror CITADEL wins Best Film at Festival in Amsterdam

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:19:00 -0500

The Irish/Scottish co-production CITADEL has picked up the Best Film MovieZone Award at the Imagine Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.

This is now the 10

^th

international prize for the psychological horror debut from talented Irish writer - director Ciarán Foy since it won the Audience Award at SXSW last year.

Blurring the boundary between real-life experiences and a darker fictional world, CITADEL which stars Aneurin Barnard along with James Cosmo is an unsettling, original and powerful story - an agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children.

CITADEL was produced by Katie Holly for Blinder Films and Brian Coffey for Sigma Films with funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Creative Scotland.

CITADEL will be released in Ireland and UK later this year.

Free Public Screenings Showcasing A Vast Range of Irish Shorts From the Last 20 Years

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:45:00 -0500

The Irish Film Institute will present a vast range of Irish shorts produced over the last 20 years in their three screens on Saturday and Sunday morning.

The selection includes a mix of rarely-seen works and popular award winning live action, documentary and animated shorts. Highlights include the recent Sundance winner Irish Folk Furniture, Academy Award winner Six Shooter and Oscar nomineesPentecost, The Door, New Boy, Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, Give Up Yer Aul Sins and Fifty Percent Grey along with the documentaries Undressing My Mother and Useless Dog to name a few.

Patrons can drop in and out of any of the screens anytime from 11.30 - 13.30 to get a flavour of the variety of Irish shorts produced over the last 20 years.

This event is a free but ticketed event.

Free Public Panel Discussions at the IFI This Weekend

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:32:00 -0500

Throughout this weekend (April 26th - 28th) the IFI will play host to two special panel discussions which will reflect on the last 20 years and discuss the future of the Irish film industry.

This inaugural showcase of the Irish film industry will mark the beginning of the 20th anniversary of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board celebrations.

SATURDAY 27^th APRIL, 14.00

20:20 Visions: New Directions in Irish Cinema

On the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Irish Film Board, a number of Irish film directors will consider the substantial body of film work that has been produced in Ireland over the past 20 years and reflect on new directions for Irish cinema today.

Dr. Díóg O'Connell (IADT/author of New Irish Storytellers: Narrative Strategies in Film) will be joined by stalwart Jim Sheridan, Kieron J. Walsh (Jump), Carmel Winters (Snap), Juanita Wilson (As If I Am Not There) and Mark O'Connor ( King of the Travellers) to talk about their films and processes and explore their sometimes conflicting perspectives on the role of Irish cinema in shaping Irish identity.

(Free but ticketed.)

SUNDAY 28^th APRIL, 14.00

A National Cinema in the Global Age?

What have been the highlights of the Irish film industry over the last two decades? What films have shaped discussions about Irish cinema? What sectors of the industry has the IFB supported and developed? Should the IFB support a culture or an industry and is it possible to support one without the other?

These questions will be the basis of a panel discussion among a range of film commentators chaired by Tony Tracy, NUI Galway, which aims to acknowledge the breadth of the Irish film industry's accomplishments as well as the purpose and priorities of the IFB.

(Free but ticketed.)

New Irish Cinema at the IFI This Weekend

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:56:00 -0500

Following a month of new Irish film releases, the IFI and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board's partnership spotlighting Irish Cinema will culminate in a series of free events and gala screenings this weekend. This inaugural showcase of the Irish film industry will mark the beginning of the 20th anniversary of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board celebrations.

Throughout this weekend (April 26th - 28th) the IFI will play host to free screenings, gala screenings and free events which include the Irish premiere of Neil Jordan's BYZANTIUM and a Gala Screening of Kieron J. Walsh's JUMP which goes on release in Irish cinemas this weekend.

FRIDAY 26^TH APRIL, 18.30

Gala Screening of JUMP

JUMP goes on release in Irish cinemas on Friday 26^th April.

Set in Derry on New Year's Eve, and drawing focus on a cast of predominantly young actors, this Romeo & Juliet-type tale is a smart, sprightly, and adeptly constructed crime-thriller.

JUMP quickly establishes the relationship at its core between Greta (Nichola Burley) and Pearse (Martin McCann), who meet by chance on a bridge while the rest of the city is wrapped up in revelry. The instant attraction between them is thwarted by an unwelcome connection in the form of Greta's father, one of the city's most brutal criminals. While the couple attempt to overcome and escape this, Greta's friends run into dire straits of their own, altering and uniting all four lives irrevocably.

Director Kieron J. Walsh and cast member Charlene McKenna will take part in a Q&A after the screening which will be followed by a wine reception.

SATURDAY 27^TH AND SUNDAY 28^TH APRIL, 11.30 - 13.30

Irish Short Films

All three IFI screens will present Irish shorts produced over the last 20 years.

The selection includes a mix of rarely-seen works and popular award winning live action, documentary and animated shorts. Highlights include the recent Sundance winner Irish Folk Furniture, Academy Award winner Six Shooter and Oscar nomineesPentecost, The Door, New Boy, Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, Give Up Yer Aul Sins and Fifty Percent Grey along with the documentaries Undressing My Mother and Useless Dog.

Patrons can drop in and out of any of the screens to get a flavour of the variety of Irish shorts produced over the last 20 years.

(Free but ticketed.)

SATURDAY 27^TH APRIL, 18.30

Gala Screening, MILO

An Irish-Dutch co-production, MILO is the debut feature by brothers Berend and Roel Boorsma. The cinematography of the starkly beautiful Wicklow and Dublin landscape frames the story of ten-year-old Milo (Lorcan Bonner) whose life is strictly controlled by his overbearing father (Stuart Graham). Milo's attempt to break out brings him on an unexpected adventure of self-discovery. An attempted kidnapping, an unusual friendship with aging bandits, and his mother's desperate search leads the family to confront the secret shame fostered by an obsession with public image.

The film has garnered much praise on the film festival circuit where it won the Premio CGS Award for originality, and creativity in storytelling at the Italian Giffoni Film Festival.

Cast members will attend this screening which will be followed by a wine reception.

SUNDAY 28^th APRIL, 18.30

Irish Premiere, BYZANTIUM

Neil Jordan's BYZANTIUM is a gothic thriller adapted from Moira Buffini's play A Vampire Story, starring Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton and Jonny Lee Miller. Arterton and Ronan play mother and daughter living in a crumbling seaside resort with a carefully guarded but deadly secret. Clara (Arterton) is a vampire prostitute who works in the local amusement arcade scouting for unsuspecting clientele, something which makes her daughter Eleanor (an ethereal Ronan) deeply apprehensive. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequences.

Director Neil Jordan will take part in a Q&A after the screening which will be followed by a wine reception

Irish Producer Conor Barry will Represent Ireland as this year’s ‘Producer on the Move’ at the Cannes Film Festival

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:14:00 -0500

Up and coming Irish producer Conor Barry, whose credits include SAVAGE and LOVE ETERNAL, has been selected as Ireland's ‘Producer on the Move' for this year's Cannes International Film Festival.

As film financing becomes more competition and difficult, film producers are increasingly looking past their national borders to raise finance for their projects. The ‘Producer on the Move' scheme is organised by European Film Promotion and aims to create select networking opportunities for Europe's most up and coming leading producers, in order to facilitate new co-production opportunities.

A graduate of the National Film School at IADT, Conor has produced a number of feature films, documentaries and shorts since graduating. Conor set up SP Films with the writer/director Brendan Muldowney and has produced the feature films SAVAGE, the co-production BRAND NEW-U, along with eight successful short films. Muldowney recently directed LOVE ETERNAL which Conor also produced through Fastnet Films.

Based on the Japanese novel ‘Loving the Dead' from acclaimed author Kei Oishi, LOVE ETERNAL centres on a damaged young man who after shutting himself away for ten years is forced to venture out into a world that he no longer understands. The film is an Irish/Luxembourg/Dutch/Japanese co-production which Conor produced with Morgan Bushe and Macdara Kelleher for Fastnet Films. It will be selling at the Cannes Film Festival.

The psychological thriller SAVAGE which is an exploration of violence and masculinity received eight IFTA nominations and was described by the Sunday Times as being "reminiscent of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver".

Conor has also produced the two IFTA nominated documentaries In Sunshine or In Shadow and Gualainn Le Gualainn.

He is currently producing the UK/Irish/Dutch co-production BRAND NEW-U with John Keville for SP Films. Written and directed by Simon Pummel the psychological thriller and obsessive love story is stripped down and re-arranged into the looping logic of a nightmare. The BRAND NEW-U transmedia project traverses a range of media - feature film, urban projection, geo-specific augmented reality, and online media - to bring a distinctive fictional image-world to contemporary audiences.

ABOUT PRODUCER ON THE MOVE

The programme PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE is now in its 14th year at the film festival in Cannes. 29 producers from 29 different European countries will take part in the event from 18 to 21 May 2013. Financial support for the project, which sees new trans-national co-productions being developed each year, comes from the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and the participating EFP member organisations.

Scheduled during the Cannes International Film Festival, the programme provides its participants with an additional visibility they get at this melting pot for filmmakers, sales agents, financiers and the international media. PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE's schedule with pitching sessions, one-on-one speed-dating meetings and various opportunities to build up business relationships and to exchange knowledge enables the selected filmmakers to return home with advanced film projects and, sometimes, with a co-production deal. At the Producers' Lunch, they can, moreover, get in contact with participants from previous years.

The emerging and independently working producers are selected by EFP member organisations from the respective countries. The participants have already realized joint European film projects which were noticed on the international radar, but they still are on their way to becoming international players. Many of them produced feature films as well as documentaries, and some are additionally active in the field of animation films.

SAVING THE TITANIC’ is nominated for four awards at the British Independent Film Festival

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:41:00 -0500

Irish feature drama-documentary "Saving the Titanic" has been nominated for four awards at the British Independent Film Festival. The film, which was shortlisted for the festival last month, was nominated in the categories Best Director (Maurice Sweeney), Best Supporting Actor (Ciaran McMenamin), Best Cinematography (Richard Kendrick) and Best Feature Film (Stephen Rooke for Tile Films).

Producer Stephen Rooke said, "We're thrilled that the film has received nominations in so many major categories. I really hope that it can land one or more of the top awards, and I think it has a great chance." Directed by multiple IFTA award-winner Maurice Sweeney, "Saving the Titanic" tells the story of the ship's engineering crew, who fought to keep the ship afloat following the collision with the iceberg.

The British Independent Film Festival showcases independent films from around the world with a focus on British and Irish talent. The festival gives independent filmmakers the opportunity to have their films screened at red carpet-style venues in front of a passionate audience of film professionals, journalists, film students and the general public.

"Saving the Titanic" will receive this treatment when it is screened at The Empire Cinema, Leicester Street and The Tricyle Theatre in London on 4^th May 2013. The film will also be shown in selected cinemas in Edinburgh, Canterbury, Yorkshire, Harwich, Malvern, South Shields, Woodhall Spa, Worksop, Wisbech and Hunstanton.

The film also recently won a major award at the New York Festivals. In a ceremony held at NAB in Las Vegas earlier this month, the film was presented with a coveted Gold World Medal Award for best docudrama.

For Stephen Rooke, this is another important recognition of what this production has achieved: "For a small Irish production company like ourselves to win a Gold World Medal Award at the New York Festivals is just fantastic. It again proves that Irish films can punch above their weight on the international stage."

Director Maurice Sweeney was similarly enthusiastic: "As a director, this is wonderful. With the budget we had, I felt that we told a great story with a big production value. It was a wonderful ensemble cast helped by great writers and a brilliant Irish crew. So it's a real acknowledgement of the talent in this country."

"Saving the Titanic" was produced by Tile Films in Dublin and is a co-production with Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion in Germany, produced in association with Bord Scannán Na hÉireann/Irish Film Board, RTÉ, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland - Sound and Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme, Windmill Lane Pictures Ltd., Section 481 - Ireland's Film Investment Scheme, AETN/History UK, ZDF and ZDFE Enterprises. International distribution is handled by ZDF Enterprises.

"Saving the Titanic" is now available on DVD.

European Film Academy introduces new category for the European Film Awards

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:06:00 -0500

This year's 26th European Film Awards will see the launch of a new award category: EUROPEAN COMEDY. The move has been decided by the board of the European Film Academy (EFA) at its latest meeting in Berlin to "pay tribute to a genre which has proven that it is able to unite and entertain audiences across Europe and beyond". The three nominations for EUROPEAN COMEDY will be decided by a special committee and the winner will be voted for by the more than 2,800 members of the European Film Academy.

The European Film Academy will also this year re-launch awards for EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER and EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER to honour two important contributions to filmmaking. The recipients of the awards EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER and EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER will be determined by a special 7-member jury, a new addition to the EFA's awarding procedures, which will also decide on the winners in the categories EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER - PRIX CARLO DI PALMA, EUROPEAN EDITOR, EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER and EUROPEAN COMPOSER. The jury will by composed of a director, a cinematographer, a production designer/costume designer, a composer/sound designer, an editor, a producer, and a festival director.

As in the past, the recipients in the other categories will be elected by the more than 2,800 members of the European Film Academy. Presented in a total of 21 categories, the 26th European Film Awards will take place in Berlin on 7 December.

Irish Sci-Fi Feature Film ‘Last Days On Mars’ Selected For Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:33:00 -0500

The debut feature film from Irish director Ruairí Robinson, LAST DAYS ON MARS, has been chosen for the prestigious Directors' Fortnight selection at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, which takes place next month from 15^th-26^th May.

LAST DAYS ON MARS which stars Liev Schrieber and Romola Garai tells the story of a group of astronaut explorers who succumb one by one to a mysterious and terrifying force while collecting specimens on Mars.

Commenting on the news James Hickey, Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board (IFB) said "LAST DAYS ON MARS showcases the excellent creative skills of Ruairí Robinson as a director of a large-scale sci-fi movie. The IFB funded Ruairí's Oscar nominated short film ‘Fifty Percent Grey' in 2002 and we are delighted to see his debut feature film recognised at the world's most famous film festival, Cannes.

Irish genre producers Fantastic Films and Irish VFX post house Screen Scene have also done great work, on this film ensuring that the special effects work has been completed to a world class standard."

Director Ruairí Robinson said "Having my film selected for Directors' Fortnight is very exciting and a wonderful endorsement of the creative talents of my cast and crew. My head just exploded."

In a joint statement the Irish producers Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell said "Fantastic Films are delighted to have co-produced this creatively ambitious story. Ruairí Robinson has made a highly imaginative and darkly emotional film. At its heart, LAST DAYS ON MARS is a compelling character driven story of loyalty and betrayal and this makes it a unique sci-fi film and an impressive debut."

Shot by award winning Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan and scripted by Clive Dawson, LAST DAYS ON MARS was produced by Fantastic Films (Wakewood, Stitches) and Qwerty Films with finance from Bord Scannán hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), the British Film Institute and Prescience, with international sales being handled by Focus Features.

Previous Irish films to have been selected for the Directors Fortnight in Cannes include Lenny Abrahamson's GARAGE starring Pat Shortt, ALL GOOD CHILDREN directed by Alicia Duffy and THE OTHER SIDE OF SLEEP directed by Rebecca Daly.

A total of 23 feature films will screen as part of the Director's Fortnight line-up, 17 of which will be world premieres. Directors Fortnight is non-competitive but first-time films including Ruairí Robinson are eligible for the Camera d'Or prize, open to all debut films across the festival and parallel sections. Many famous directors including Sophia Coppola, Werner Herzog, Michael Haneke and Spike Lee are amongst the world-class directors who have had their debut films selected for the Directors Fortnight over the past three decades.

‘King of the Travellers’ in Selected Irish Cinemas this week

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:05:00 -0500

New Irish feature film KING OF THE TRAVELLERS directed by Mark O'Connor will be hitting selected Irish cinemas this Friday, 19^th April.

A special preview will take place this Thursday 18^th April in the IFI at 6.30pm which will be followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew hosted by Vincent Browne.

King of the Travellers which stars Peter Coonan (Love/Hate), Michael Collins (Man About Dog) and newcomer John Connors tells the story of John Paul Moorehouse (Connors) who is on a destructive quest to uncover the truth about the killer of his father 12 years ago. John Paul's desire for revenge is swayed as he falls for Winnie Power, the daughter of the man he suspects killed his father. John Paul must now battle between his consuming passion for justice versus his desire to be with the woman he loves.

King of the Travellers was produced by Cormac Fox and John Wallace for Vico Films and Black Sheep Productions with funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, BAI and TV3. It is being distributed by Wildcard Distribution.

Watch the King of the Travellers trailer on the IFB Media Hub.

Purchase tickets for King of the Travellers on the IFI website

WHAT RICHARD DID wins Best Film at the Istanbul International Film Festival

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:20:00 -0500

Lenny Abrahamson's WHAT RICHARD DID has picked up the Golden Tulip International Award for Best Film in the main competition at the 32^nd Istanbul International Film Festival. The award was presented at the closing gala and awards ceremony, which took place at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall this weekend.

WHAT RICHARD DID has already screened at numerous international film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and will next screen in the Tribeca Film Festival which kicks off this week in New York City.

Adapted from Kevin Power's novel Bad Day In Blackrock and written by Malcolm Campbell (Skins, Shameless), who recently picked up the Best Screenplay Award at Evening Standard British Film Awards, What Richard Did is the third film from acclaimed director Lenny Abrahamson, whose previous work includes Garage and Adam & Paul. He is currently in post-production on Frank which stars Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The film stars Jack Reynor, who is set to star in the next Transformers Hollywood blockbuster, as Richard Karlsen a golden-boy athlete and undisputed alpha-male of his privileged set of South Dublin teenagers. The world is bright and everything seems possible, until one night Richard does something that destroys it all and shatters the lives of the people closest to him.

WHAT RICHARD DID was produced by Ed Guiney for Element Pictures with Andrew Lowe executive producing and was funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) and Screen Scene.

WHAT RICHARD DID is now available on DVD and On-Demand.