Special Focus on 'New Irish Cinema' at Off Plus Camera Festival in Krakow
The Off Plus Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema will present for the first time ever a section on "New Irish Cinema", screening films made by young and talented Irish filmmakers, who already have succeeded at many important world and European film festivals.
The six Irish films which have been selected for the programme, which takes place in Krakow from 8th-17th April, are One Hundred Mornings, Wake Wood, My Brothers, Savage, Snap and Charlie Casanova.
Conor Horgan's apocalyptic ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS, which has just completed a successful week long release in New York, premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival last year and has since gone on to screen at many international film festivals, including Thessaloniki, Rev Fest in Perth, Dublin and Rhode Island. WAKE WOOD, the new horror from David Keating, stars Aidan Gillen (The Wire, Love/Hate), Eva Birthistle (The Daisy Chain, Breakfast on Pluto) and Timothy Spall (The King's Speech, Harry Potter), and recently went on release in Irish and UK cinemas with critics citing it as "a horror that ticks every box".
Paul Fraser's directorial debut MY BROTHERS, written by Will Collins, is a moving and off-beat comedy which was officially selected to screen at Robert deNiro's Tribeca festival and also went on to open the Galway Film Fleadh last year while Brendan Muldowney's SAVAGE, an exploration of violence and masculinity as a man tries to come to terms with a brutal attack, has been selected for a host of international festivals such as Moscow, Finland and Sweden to name a few.
Carmel Winter's critically acclaimed debut SNAP is a gripping psychological drama which was chosen to screen at the renowned Karlovy Vary and Tribeca film festivals last year and also picked up the Best Irish Film award at the Dublin Film Critic's Circle earlier this year. Terry McMahon's CHARLIE CASANOVA had its world premiere at the recent SXSW Festival and was also selected for the ÉCU European Independent Film Festival which took place in Paris over the weekend.
For further information on these screenings click here
About ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS
Set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society, two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis. As resources run low and external threats increase, they forge an uneasy alliance with their self-sufficient hippie neighbour. With no news from the outside world they can't know how long they must endure living in such close quarters, and with such limited supplies. Unspoken animosity fills the air, and a suspected affair is driving a wedge between them all. Poorly equipped to cope in a world without technology and saddled with completely conflicting worldviews, everything begins to disintegrate. Finally, each of them faces a critical decision they never thought they'd have to make. The film was produced by Katie Holly for Blinder Films through the Catalyst scheme which was financed by BSÉ/IFB, BAI, Filmbase with the support of the Film council and TV3.
About MY BROTHERS
When 17-year-old Noel accidentally breaks his dying father's most prized possession-a cheap wristwatch-he and his two younger brothers "borrow" the boss' bread van for a clandestine quest to replace it. But what begins as a quick road trip soon turns into an emotional odyssey for the boys. The film which was produced by Rebecca O'Flanagan and Rob Walpole with Rubicon Films, was funded by BSÉ/IFB, RTÉ and Windmill Lane.
About WAKE WOOD
The villagers of Wake Wood perform an ancient ritual to bring the dead back to life for three days, in order to say farewell before their journey to the spirit world. A young couple whose daughter Alice was brutally killed by a raving mad dog, beg the villagers to bring their daughter back but find themselves unable to lose her for a second time. Their attempts to keep her alive mean they must pay a terrible price. It was produced by Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell for Fantastic Films in co-production with Magnus Paulsson of Solid Entertainment, Sweden and received finance from BSÉ/IFB and Hammer Films.
About SAVAGE
SAVAGE tells the story of Paul Graynor, an alienated press photographer who lives and works in an unfriendly and threatening city, who becomes victim to a serious crime. Finding himself the subject, rather than the purveyor of an inner city tabloid story, Paul tries to come to terms with his attack, though the scars, both psychological and physical, prove impossible to heal. Produced by Conor Barry for SP Films, with finance coming from BSÉ/IFB, this gritty film stars Darren Healy (Eamon, Once) and Nora-Jane Noone (The Descent, The Magdalene Sisters).
About SNAP
SNAP, written and directed by Carmel Winters is a gripping psychological drama about three generations of a family poised to repeat the mistakes of the past. Boasting the acting talents of Aisling O'Sullivan (The Clinic), Eileen Walsh (Eden, The Magdelene Sisters), Mick Lally (The Secret of Kells) and newcomer Stephen Moran, it was produced by Martina Niland and Samson Films and was funded by BSÉ/IFB and Screen Scene.
About CHARLIE CASANOVA
CHARLIE CASANOVA, which was written, directed and produced by Terry McMahon, tells the story of Charlie Casanova, a sociopathic member of the ruling class who knocks down a working class girl in a hit-and-run and uses a deck of playing cards to determine his fate. Starring Emmett Scanlan (The Guards, Savage) and Leigh Arnold (The Clinic), the film is the first Irish film selected for competition at SXSW festival.
About Off Plus Camera
Off Plus Camera is a unique major event in Eastern Europe dedicated to the world's independent cinema. The program features some of the newest and most highly-praised films from the festival circuit, boasting national cinematography showcases, themed sections, and retrospectives of some of the most revered names from the world of independent cinema. The festival is also a place for discussion, meetings and the sharing of ideas with a variety of lectures, meetings with artists, discussion panels and musical events.