New horizons: An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) surpasses €600,000 at the UK and Irish box office, continuing to break records for Irish-language film
Posted: 10th June 2022
The Quiet Girl is currently #14 in the top 20 of Irish and UK films at the box office this week
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate writer/director Colm Bairéad, producer Cleona Ní Chrualaoí of Inscéal, and the creative team behind An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) for its box office success, with the feature film surpassing €600,000 at the Irish and UK box office last night and holding at #14 in the top 20 films in Ireland and the UK. An Cailín Ciúin was produced as part of the Cine4 funding scheme for Irish-language film, in partnership with Screen Ireland, TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), and the film is also in receipt of the Irish Government’s Section 481 tax incentive.
The film, which has been critically acclaimed by major publications and has already broken several records for an Irish-language film, continues to reach new heights as the highest grossing Irish-language film in history. In the coming weeks, An Cailín Ciúin will have its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival next week and is amongst 12 films in official competition at the festival. The film has also brokered a major sales deal for an Australian and New Zealand cinema release this year.
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:
“Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate director Colm Bairéad and producer Cleona Ní Chrualaoí, as well as distributors Break Out and Curzon, on the remarkable response to An Cailín Ciúin since its release in Irish and UK cinemas. The film’s success is an outstanding example of Irish filmmaking talent and a powerful story beautifully told and crafted. We are delighted for the film’s incredible commercial success at the box office and to see that audiences have responded so well, as well as to the other recent Irish-language films. This feels like a new horizon for Irish-language cinema and for the artistic expression of our national culture on screen for a new generation.”
An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) – Success to Date
An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) has received widespread critical acclaim since its World Premiere at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) in February, where the film was the first Irish-language feature film to be selected for the festival. At the festival, it won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for Best Film, another first for an Irish-language feature film. The film also received a Special Mention from the Children's Jury.
At the Irish Film and Television Academy awards, the film picked up the most accolades for any single project with seven prizes, including Best Film – the first time an Irish-language film has ever won this award – and Best Director (Film) for Colm Bairéad.
Cleona Ní Chrualaoi, producer of An Cailín Ciúin for Inscéal, commented:
"We are thrilled that An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) has reached another Irish/UK box office milestone. We are so grateful to everyone who has come out to support our film on the big screen so far. The reaction has been overwhelming at times, but we are deeply moved by how our "quiet" film has touched so many people. Huge thanks to the incredible teams at Break Out Pictures and Curzon for all their hard work on the Irish UK release to date and to our funders, Screen Ireland, TG4 and the BAI for their unwavering support as we continue on this extraordinary journey."
Since its cinema release in May across the UK and Ireland with distributors Curzon and Break Out, An Cailín Ciúin has been widely hailed as “a classic of its kind” (Screen International) and a film that “grips you, rips you apart, before putting you back together and making you whole again” (Little White Lies). The film is currently certified 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with publications including The Guardian, The Irish Times and the New Statesmen awarding it five star reviews and effusive acclaim. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said simply: “It is a jewel.”
Audience response across the UK and Ireland has been remarkable, and in Ireland alone, the film has outperformed almost all key international arthouse titles this year. An Cailín Ciúin is on track to become the most successful Irish film of recent years. As of Friday 10th June, the Irish and UK box office cumulative stands at €602,222 (source: International Box Office Essentials / Comscore).
Alan Esslemont, Director General of TG4, said:
“Huge congratulations to Cleona and Colm at Inscéal and to all those connected with the success of An Cailín Ciúin. The Cine4 scheme is testament to the wealth of Irish-speaking talent at present working in the audiovisual sector in Ireland and the appetite internationally for their storytelling and their vision of the world.”
Celene Craig, Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), said:
“The BAI congratulates An Cailín Ciúin on its huge success, and all those involved it its production. Funded under the BAI’s Sound & Vision scheme, An Cailín Ciúin is a fantastic example of Irish-language drama and its ability to capture the hearts of audiences at home and abroad. The film also reflects the skills and talents of those working in Irish audiovisual production today and I wish it continued success.”
In a joint statement from Irish distribution company Break Out Pictures, Nell Roddy and Robert McCann Finn commented:
“It's a real testament to Colm's incredibly moving film that audiences all over Ireland and the UK are embracing An Cailín Ciúin in such numbers. We're hearing such heart-warming stories from local cinemas everywhere of a cross generational audience, many returning who haven't been back in years, to see this special film and of strangers compelled to share the strong emotional experience of watching An Cailín Ciúin with one another after the end credits roll. It's been a pleasure working with Curzon Film and all the production financiers on bringing it to the big screen and we're thrilled audiences adore it as much as we do.”
About An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl)
Based on the acclaimed story, Foster by Claire Keegan, An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) is a complex and delicate coming-of-age drama that explores questions of family, neglect and loss through the eyes of its young protagonist.
An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) is the feature film debut of writer/director, Colm Bairéad and producer, Cleona Ní Chrualaoi of Inscéal. The film was funded by Screen Ireland, TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland as part of the Cine4 scheme. The film is also in receipt of the Irish Government’s Section 481 tax incentive. It was shot on location in Meath and Dublin in 2020.