Brendan Byrne, producer of Gaza and director of Bobby Sands: 66 Days, is to take forward his own production house, Cyprus Avenue Films to produce a new slate of feature documentary and drama projects.
Cyprus Avenue Films previously co-produced Maze, starring Tom Vaughan Lawlor, and has several new co-productions with Fine Point Films, which are about to be released. These projects include My Name is Bulger, about the family of infamous Irish American gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, and Ryan McMullan: Debut, a portrait of the up-and-coming singer songwriter as he charts his path to international recognition.
After several successful years working with Fine Point Films, Byrne now intends to concentrate on his own Cyprus Avenue Films to pursue more personal projects and rekindle his interests in drama and feature film.
Byrne’s role in the production of Gaza, a documentary that focused on the day-to-day life in the embattled 25-by-seven mile stretch of Mediterranean coastline, was IFTA’s official selection for Ireland’s entry into the Best International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars, and the first Northern Irish produced documentary to get selected for the Sundance Film Festival.
New projects in the pipeline include Children of Beirut, from the same team that made Gaza, That They May Face the Rising Sun, based on John McGahern’s novel in co-production with South Wind Blows, and a new feature documentary on world renowned Bafta-winning sound artist/recordist Chris Watson: A Journey in Sound, in co-production with Harvest Films.
Currently, Cyprus Avenue Films are co-producing Murder in the Badlands with Fine Point Films for BBC NI, a factual series that will explore unresolved murder cases of women. The company is also developing high-profile projects with key American partners that will be announced in the coming months.
“The last year has shown the power of film to educate, inform, and help viewers forget their worries and societal problems. Whether it is online or on television, film has been an escape for us all over the previous months,” said Byrne.
“I am keen to create films that intrigue, inspire, and draw the attention of local and international audiences. Films produced by Cyprus Avenue Films will continue to pursue my joint interests in documentary and drama with some of the best talent working in Ireland today,” Byrne continued.
“No matter what genre or subject a great story is a great story. That will be my guiding light when developing new projects as Creative Director of Cyprus Avenue Films.”
