Small Things Like These will be the first Irish film to open the prestigious Berlin Film Festival
Posted: 18th January 2024
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate director Tim Mielants and the creative team behind Irish film Small Things Like These. Starring Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh, the film has been selected to open the prestigious Berlin Film Festival (the Berlinale) in February.
The film is based on the Claire Keegan novel of the same name, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. In a small Wexford town in 1984, during the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, works hard to provide for his wife and five daughters. Early one morning, while delivering coal to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the Church.
Irish film continues its remarkable journey on the world stage. Tonight also marks the premiere of Irish film Kneecap at the Sundance Film Festival – the first Irish language film to ever screen at the festival.
Shot on location in Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin last year, the film is produced by Alan Moloney and Cillian Murphy for Big Things Films, with support from Artists Equity and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland said:
“Our huge congratulations to producer and actor Cillian Murphy, producer Alan Moloney, screenwriter Enda Walsh and director Tim Mielants, as well as the entire creative team behind Small Things Like These. Having an Irish independent film chosen to open the Berlinale is an incredible achievement, and a testament to the cultural strength of the Irish screen industry. Supporting Irish stories that are led creatively by our culture and our history is at the heart of Screen Ireland’s remit, and we look forward to audiences experiencing this powerful film in Berlin and beyond.”
The Berlinale is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. Irish film has found critical and audience acclaim at the festival in recent years, including Colm Bairéad's An Cailín Ciúin - which made history by becoming the first Irish language feature film to win a major award at the festival – as well as previous selections like Laurent Larivière's About Joan and Philippe Falardeau's My Salinger Year.