‘THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY’ TOPS IRISH BOX OFFICE
Irish Civil War film THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY has become the highest grossing independent* Irish film at the Irish box office.Funded by Board Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board (BSÉ/IFB), this award winning film has taken over €2.7 million at the Irish box office surpassing recent major Irish hits INTERMISSION, which took €2.5 million in 2003 and MAN ABOUT DOG, which took €2.1 million at the Irish box office in 2004.
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY directed by Ken Loach, staring Cillian Murphy (Batman, Breakfast On Pluto), Liam Cunningham (Breakfast on Pluto, Showbands) and rising star Padraic Delaney, is also the 4th highest grossing film** released in Ireland this year, beating stiff competition from major Hollywood titles such as Mission Impossible II and Chicken Little.
“This is great news for the Irish film industry. The local audience for Irish films is continuing to grow year on year and we’re delighted to see Irish films compete successfully with major Hollywood blockbusters. The strong support the film industry has received from Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism John O’Donoghue and the Irish government is making a real impact and we look forward to seeing more Irish films top the Irish box office.” said Simon Perry, CEO, Irish Film Board
Scripted by Paul Laverty, THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY begins in 1919 and tells the story of two brothers who fought together during the Irish war of Independence. They then find themselves pitted against each other as civil war ensues and betrayal becomes inevitable. The film was shot on location in Cork and Kerry for seven weeks and location highlights include Bandon Town, Mallow, Buttevant, Coolea and Killarney.
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is an Irish-UK-Italian-German-Spanish co-production which was produced by Sixteen Films and Irish company Element Films. The film had a production budget of approximately €6.5 million and had an Irish spend of almost €4 million. The film was produced with financing from the Irish Film Board, the UK Film Council and TV3, amongst others, and is being distributed by Pathé in Ireland and the UK.
The next Irish film to be released in cinemas nationwide is THE FRONT LINE, directed by David Gleeson (Cowboys and Angels) which will be distributed by Buena Vista International (Ireland) on August 25th. THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is still screening in cinemas nationwide.
*Note to editors:
‘Independent’ films refers to films that are independent financed with out major US studios involved.
**Data source: www.carltonscreen.com