Irish Cinematic Release for 'The Guard' in July | The Irish Film & Television Network

‘The Guard’, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh (Ned Kelly), sees Emmy winner and IFTA winner Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm) playing an unorthodox Irish policeman who joins forces with Don Cheadle’s straitlaced FBI agent in a bid to take on an international drug-smuggling gang. The film is an Irish/UK co-production, backed by the Irish Film Board and section 481 as well as International Financiers. It is produced by Chris Clark and Flora Fernandez Marengo for Reprisal Films and Ed Guiney (Garage) and Andrew Lowe (The Wind that Shakes the Barley) for Element Pictures.

The film had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance film festival in February 2011. After four days of negotiations and a bidding war, Sony Picture Classics closed a major deal for US and Latin American rights to the film meaning that the feature has now sold to almost every territory in the world for distribution this year. Element Pictures Distribution will orchestrate the Irish theatrical release of the feature.

‘The Guard’ has already received positive reviews from International critics: Screen Daily believes that ‘The Guard’ will “win over audiences with its zinger lines from McDonagh’s script and deft casting in all the roles.” whilst the Hollywood Reporter describes the film as “Scabrous, profane, violent, verbally adroit and very often hilarious, this twisted and exceptionally accomplished variation on the buddy-cop format is capped by a protean performance by Brendan Gleeson.”

Element Pictures Distribution will release ‘The Guard’ across Ireland from July 8th with specific cinemas screening the film TBC.

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