Screen Ireland-supported projects Hallow Road, Mix Tape and Retirement Plan selected for SXSW 2025
Posted: 27th January 2025
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate feature film Hallow Road, TV drama Mix Tape and short film Retirement Plan on being selected for the SXSW 2025 programme this year. All three projects have been supported by Screen Ireland. Hallow Road and Mix Tape will receive their World Premiere at the prestigious Austin festival, while Retirement Plan will receive its International Premiere following its first screening at last year's Galway Film Fleadh.
Keith Potter, Head of Feature Film at Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:
“We’re delighted to congratulate the creative teams behind Screen Ireland-supported projects Hallow Road, Mix Tape and Retirement Plan on being selected for SXSW 2025. SXSW is a fantastic launchpad for Irish film and TV, and we’re looking forward to these projects making a strong connection with US audiences in March.”
Hallow Road, directed by Babak Anvari with a script from William Gillies, will premiere in the Midnighters section at the festival.
Two parents receive a distressing late-night call from their teenage daughter, who has just accidentally hit a pedestrian. They jump in their car, racing to get there before anyone else stumbles across the scene. As they head deeper into the night, disturbing revelations threaten to tear the family apart as they soon realize they might not be the only ones driving down Hallow Road.
The film is a Czech / Ireland / UK co-production, and is produced by Richard Bolger for Hail Mary Pictures, along iwth by Two & Two and London Film & TV. XYZ Films will handle international sales.
Mix Tape, screening in the TV Spotlight section, is four-part TV drama series written by Irish screenwriter Jo Spain, with episodes directed by Lucy Gaffy.
Sheffield 1989, Daniel and Alison's teenage romance ends mysteriously. Years later and now living on opposite sides of the world, a new chapter begins for Daniel and Alison when they reconnect through a song from their shared past. The two explore their burning curiosity to understand if this is the love and life they were meant to have.
Mix Tape is an Irish/Australian co-production, and is produced by Irish production company Subotica and Aquarius Films, with support from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Screen Australia, Bing /Foxtel, Boat Rocker Studios, Finnish Impact Fund and Screen NSW.
Retirement Plan will screen in the Animated Short Competition. The short film is directed by John Kelly, with a script co-written by Tara Lawall and John Kelly, and is produced by Julie Murnaghan and Andrew Freedman. The film was funded by Frameworks, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and RTÉ's flagship animated short film scheme.
In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”
SXSW will take place from March 7th - 15th 2025. You can find the full Film and TV programme here.