Following the success of Irish releases such as ‘Calvary’, ‘The Stag’, ‘Frank’, ‘Jimmy’s Hall’ and Universal’s ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie’ this year, Irish audiences can also look forward to a wide choice of Irish stories on film hitting cinemas over the coming months.
The highly anticipated slate of titles includes: ‘Noble’, the true story of Christina Noble; ‘Standby’, a romantic comedy set in the streets of Dublin starring Brian Gleeson (‘The Stag’) and ‘Mad Men’ star Jessica Pare; ‘The Guarantee’, which tells the infamous story of the Irish bank guarantee starring Peter Coonan at David Drumm; and ‘Gold’, a heart-warming comedy starring Maisie Williams of ‘Game of Thrones’ fame and James Nesbit.
Other Irish features due to be released include 'An Bronntanas', which is out in cinemas next week on September 10th. The contemporary Irish crime thriller is set against the backdrop of the Connemara Coastline on the West of Ireland and relates the dramatic lives of a local lifeboat crew. 'A Nightingale Falling' follows two sisters' whose lives are changed forever as they care for a wounded soldier. It is out in national cinemas on September 12th.
There will also be a line-up of feature documentary films including ’One Million Dubliners’, an award-winning film which explores the necropolis of Glasnevin Cemetery in North Dublin; ‘Unbreakable: The Mark Pollack Story’ telling Pollack’s inspirational story of strength and positivity in the face of extraordinary adversity; and ‘Showrunners’ which takes a look at the big names behind the international business of major US TV drama and features interviews with JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon (the world premiere of this film will close this year's IFI Stranger than Fiction Festival). All will go on release this autumn.
Emma Scott, Production and Development Manager at the Irish Film Board, the body responsible for funding several of these films, said: “Having had a strong start to the year, with Irish titles capturing the interest of cinema-goers on films like ‘The Stag’, ‘Calvary’ and ‘Frank’, the IFB is looking forward to an equally exciting autumn schedule of theatrical releases. Diversity and talent alongside great Irish story-telling is evident across the range of films gaining releases here.
“Irish distributors are working hard, with the invaluable support of the exhibitors, to reach new audiences… The wide array of genres from comedy to drama to life-enforcing documentaries and the variety of film-making talent on display is indicative of a healthy independent film sector.”
‘Noble’ is out on September 19th; ‘Unbreakable: The Mark Pollack Story’ is out October 3rd; ‘Gold’ is out on October 11th; ‘Showrunners’ is out October 17th ‘The Guarantee’ is out October 30th; ‘One Million Dubliners’ is out late October; and ‘Standby’ is out November 14th.
