Kicking off today and running until October 12, the 16th Raindance Film Festival based, London will screen the world premiere of Aisling Walsh’s ‘The Daisy Chain’ alongside the Irish short features ‘The Confession, ‘The Basket Case’ and ‘The Ranger’
Produced by Tristan Orpen Lynch and Dominic Wright of Subotica Entertainment and written by Irish screenwriter Lauren MacKenzie, ‘The Daisy Chain’ is a supernatural thriller starring IFTA Winner Eva Birthistle (Middletown), Samantha Morton (In America), Steven Mackintosh (The Escapist) and 10 year old Mhairi Anderson and is Walsh’s first feature since ‘A Song For A Raggy Boy’.
Following the tragic death of their infant daughter, the young couple Martha (Morton) and Tomas (Mackintosh) move to a remote village in the West of Ireland where they foster Daisy (Anderson), an autistic child whose own parents have died in a strangely ritualistic fire. The couple settle with Daisy but with a growing antagonism towards the girl from the locals, linking her to strange and benevolent events in the village, concerns are raised for the new parents. The film was shot in various locations across Achill Island and Wales in October 2007 with Simon Kossoff as DOP and production designer Padraig O’Neill.
Birthistle will also appear in Peter Greenaway’s ‘Nightwatching’ alongside Martin Freeman at the festival.
Three Irish shorts will also be screened including; ‘The Basket Case’ written and directed by Owen O’Neill centering on one man's love for his dying wife and the lengths he will go to, to prevent being parted from her. The short stars Declan Colon (Trouble with Sex), Simon Delaney (Bachelors Walk, Deirdre O'Kane (BitterSweet). PJ Dillon’s short ‘The Ranger’ will also screen at the festival. Owen McDonnell (Single-Handed) plays a soldier who on returning from serving abroad finds his family has died from famine while in Thomas Hefferon’s short ‘The Confession’, Sean Flanagan (The Clinic) plays a young man confessing his sins to a priest who seems to more interested in gossiping.
