High levels of Irish film production maintained with three projects currently in production
Production levels continue to remain high with three Irish films Wide Open Spaces, One Hundred Mornings and Perrier's Bounty currently in production.WIDE OPEN SPACES is directed by Tom Hall and written by Arthur Matthews who was co-writer of the TV series Father Ted.
Starring Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), Ardal O'Hanlon (Father Ted) and Owen Roe (Intermission), the film is a belated coming of age comedy with a unique take on male friendship and how sometimes it is easier to break up with a girl than with your best straight male friend.
Irish company Grand Pictures (Spin the Bottle) are co-producing the film with Scottish company Mead Kerr (Night People) with funding from IFB, Scottish Screen, RTE and BBC Scotland. World sales are being handled by Entertainment One.
Blinder Films' first feature ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS is currently shooting on location in Co. Wicklow. Written and directed by Conor Horgan, the film follows two couples as they hide out in a remote holiday home, trying to avoid the consequences of a breakdown of society. As supplies grow scarce, they each have to make choices that they'd never imagined having to make in order to survive.
Produced by Katie Holly of Blinder Films, the film is funded through the catalystproject scheme. The catalystproject was devised by IFB, Screen Training Ireland, Filmbase, BCI, TV3 and the Arts Council to train filmmakers in the art of very low-budget filmmaking and fund successful participants to produce a feature film.
Meanwhile Ian Fitzgibbon's (A Film With Me In It) comedy-thriller PERRIER'S BOUNTY is currently being shot around Ireland also. Written by Mark O'Rowe (Boy A) and starring Cillian Murphy (Edge of Love, Wind that Shakes the Barley), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Jim Broadbent (Bridget Jones Diary) the film about three fugitives on the run from a big-time gangster out for revenge following the accidental death of one of his gang members.
The film is produced by Alan Moloney of Parallel Films with support from IFB, Film4, Limelight, Premiere Picture and the U.K. Film Council. Hanway Films is handling worldwide sales and Optimum Releasing has acquired U.K. and Ireland rights.
This year IFB-funded film and television projects contributed an estimated total of over €70 million to the Irish economy, showing a significant return on government investment in this sector.