Featuring in the festival’s World Greats strand, ‘Love & Savagery’ is produced by St. John's-based Barbara Doran of Morag Loves Company and Lynne Wilson for Newfoundland alongside Kevin Tierney of Montreal-based Park Ex Pictures for Quebec. Tristan Orpen Lynch (Proof) of Subotica Entertainment, Ireland, is executive producer.
Commenting on the selection of the Irish co-produced film for the Montreal Festival, executive producer Tristan told IFTN: “We are delighted that ‘Love and Savagery’ has been chosen to premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival. This is a poetic and charming love story which we shot in the West of Ireland – emerging Irish actress Sarah Greene delivers a remarkable performance in the female lead role.”
The $6.3m film which was partly shot in County Clare and Inis Mor last year, was written by screenwriter Des Walsh with Pierre Latarte director of photography.
Set in 1969, ‘Love & Savagery’ follows a young Newfoundland scientist who set off to explore Ireland's geology only to discover his one true love. The young woman's plans to enter the church are sorely tested, as are the community's traditions.
Canadian actor Allan Hawco and Irish actress Sarah Greene star in the lead roles with support from Martha Burns, Sean Panting, Macdara O'Fatharta and Nicholas Campbell. Other Irish crew involved in he production include; Supervising producer Jo Homewood;
Production designer Padraig O’Neill; Art director Michael Moynihan and Location manager Colm Nolan.
Finance for the film was provided by Telefilm Canada, The Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation and the Irish Film Board.
Also chosen to be screened at the Montreal World Film Festival is ‘Child of the Dead End’ a documentary by Desmond Bell, which draws upon a rich vein of early cinema archive and live action shot in Ireland, Scotland and England.
‘Child of The Dead End’ tells the touching story of poet, novelist, dramatist and Screen writer Patrick MacGill played by Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea.
The production, which involved two shoots in Donegal, one in Cloughaneely, Poison Glen and Glenties in May of 2008 and a second in Glenties and around Mount Errigal in August of the same year, was produced by Glass Machine Productions; Elle Kent, Rebecca Dover and edited by Simon Hipkins, director of photography on the project was Sam Mitchell.
