A Mix of Irish War Drama, Horror and Animation to Screen at Bradford Festival in U.K This Month
New Irish cinema including the three features AS IF I AM NOT THERE, ESSENTIAL KILLING and WAKE WOOD and the short film PAPERMAN will all screen at the Bradford International Film Festival in the UK later this month.
Fresh from its recent win for Best Cinematography at the Dublin Film Critics Circle, Juanita Wilson's AS IF I AM NOT THERE, will be screening alongside Jerzy Skolimowski's award-winning ESSENTIAL KILLING, in the Moviedrome section which will showcase an array of premieres and previews of new cinema from around the world.
David Keating's new horror WAKE WOOD will be screening during the Bradford After Dark section which focuses on some the freshest, goriest and shocking horror films on the circuit. PAPERMAN will have it's UK premiere at the festival. The short animation directed by Richard Kelly is short-listed as one of six films for the Shine Short Film Award which honours the best short by an emerging director and supports innovation and originality.
About AS IF I AM NOT THERE
Juanita Wilson's directorial debut AS IF I AM NOT THERE is a harrowing film about ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. Samira's life is shattered the day a young soldier walks uninvited into her apartment and tells her to pack her things. Rounded up with the other women from the village and imprisoned in a warehouse in a remote region of Bosnia, Samira quickly learns the rules of camp life, and one day is picked out to ‘entertain' the soldiers. Stripped of everything she has ever had and facing the constant threat of death, Samira struggles against the hatred she sees all around her. In a final act of courage, she decides to make one last stand: to dare to be herself. And it is this simple act that saves her life. The IFTA-winning film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was produced by Nathalie Lichtenthaler and James Flynn for Octagon Films. It is set for release in Irish cinemas this Friday 4th March and will be distributed by Element Pictures Distribution.
Watch trailer here
About ESSENTIAL KILLING
ESSENTIAL KILLING tells the story of Mohammed (Vincent Gallo), who is being pursued, possibly by the CIA, through inhospitable Afghan terrain. Captured, he is dispatched to a detention centre, and escapes only to be pursued again, this time beyond the limits of his endurance. Mohammed must constantly confront the need to kill in order to survive. The war thriller is an Irish/Polish/Norwegian/Hungarian co-production between Element Pictures (Garage, The Wind That Shakes The Barley), Skopia Film Production, Cylinder Productions and Mythberg Films with Andrew Lowe the executive producer for Element. The film has previously been selected for screening at international festivals including Toronto, London, Rotterdam and Venice.
About WAKE WOOD
A dark tale of paganism in rural Ireland in which a grieving couple find they can bring their dead daughter back to life when the villagers of Wake Wood perform an ancient, blood-soaked ritual in order to say farewell to the dead. Starring Aidan Gillen and Eva Birthistle as the parents desperate for more stolen time with their child, who was ravaged by a mad dog, the film also features Timothy Spall (The Kings Speech, Harry Potter) and Ruth McCabe (Stella Days, Breakfast on Pluto) as the locals with the power over life and death. Set in a suitably gothic landscape of skeletal trees, moist earth and muttering neighbours, their attempts to keep her alive mean they must pay a terrible price. Written by Brendan McCarthy and David Keating, the film was produced by Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell for Fantastic Films in co-production with Magnus Paulsson of Solid Entertainment, Sweden. It received finance from the BSÉ/IFB and Hammer Films and will hit Irish cinemas on Friday 25th March.
Watch trailer here
About PAPERMAN
PAPERMAN, directed by Richard Kelly and co-written by Richard and Sean Ryan, tells of a paper man's quest for love to find his paper girl. Premiering at the 2010 Galway Film Fleadh, it was shortlisted for Best Use of Film or Animation Award at this year's Digital Media Awards and is also set to screen at the Canada International Film Festival in April. It was produced by Jessica Kelly for Prickly Pear Productions through the Frameworks scheme. Frameworks is a joint initiative between IFB, RTÉ and the Arts Council.
About Bradford International Film Festival
Hosted by the National Media Museum, the Bradford International Film Festival will take place from the 16th -27th March. Bradford has been showing movies since the twilight of the 19th century. More than 100 years later the city's association with cinema continues to evolve, and Bradford International Film Festival remains at the very heart of it. Bradford has become a showcase for the new, the ground-breaking, the unusual and the obscure. For more information check out the website