Irish Industry Out In Force at the Cannes Film Festival
The Irish film industry was out in strong numbers this weekend at the Cannes Film Festival where Culture Ireland and Bord Scannán na hÉireann hosted a special reception to celebrate Irish film and music talent.
Kila, one of Ireland's most innovative bands played to a packed audience which included leading players of the international and Irish film industries. The band is no stranger to film having worked on the music for many films including the Irish Oscar nominated animation ‘The Secret of Kells'.
The celebrations took place ahead of the world premiere of Alicia Duffy's ‘All Good Children' in the Director's Fortnight section of the festival on Wednesday. Produced by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures together with Jonathan Cavendish, Tom Dercourt and Patrick Quinet for Caveman, Cinema Defacto and Artemis Productions, the film is an Irish/Belgian/French co-production and was made with the support of the IFB, Eurimages, Wallimage, CFB Centre du Cenema, Sofica, Preachat TV Cryptee and CRRAV. Alicia was in attendance at the reception along with the producers and crew attached to the film.
This is Element's third Cannes success following on from Lenny Abrahamson's ‘Garage' which picked up the CICAE Art and Essai Cinema Prize during the Directors Fortnight in 2007 and The Wind That Shakes The Barley which won the Palme D'or in 2006.
Some other Irish attending the reception included the producers of ‘Savage' (Conor Barry) and ‘One Hundred Mornings' (Katie Holly), two Irish films which are set to hit Irish cinemas this summer and producers Macdara Kelleher and Morgan Bushe who have just completed ‘The Other Side of Sleep' a film directed by Rebecca Daly who was selected for the Cannnes Film Festival Cinéfondation.
Business has been hectic at this year's festival with the announcement that The Works International has taken the international sales rights of John Carney's ‘Zonad'. The Irish comedy was a big hit at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last month.
The Cannes Film Festival is the largest and most important film market in the world and provides an opportunity for Irish producers to meet with international film financiers, sales agents and film distributors. This year a number of new Irish films have been screening to packed audiences in the market including THE GUARD, directed by John Michael McDonagh which stars Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle and Colm McCarthy's chilling thriller OUTCAST starring James Nesbitt. David Keatings horror WAKE WOOD and Conor McPherson's supernatural thriller THE ECLIPSE have also screened.
The world premiere of ‘All Good Children' takes place on Wednesday 19th May and the Cannes Film Festival runs until 23rd May.