Eva Birthistle for Middletown
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With shooting scheduled to begin next month, additional cast for the forthcoming Irish feature film ‘Middletown’ have been confirmed; 'Vera Drake' actor Daniel Mays and the IFTA winning Irish actors Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss) and Gerard McSorley (Omagh) will join the already announced Matthew MacFadyen. (Pride & Prejudice) |
The feature length drama is described by producer Micahel Casey as “a story set in a village forgotten by time and progress, where two brothers battle to win the town’s heart.” MacFadyen will play the part of Reverend Gabriel Hunter who returns home after a number of years abroad. There he finds his younger brother (Mays) quarreling with this father (McSorley) over the ownership of the family business.
'Middletown' is the debut feature film for director Brian Kirk who has previously worked with television drama series that include ‘Murphy’s Law’, ‘Pulling Moves’ and most recently ‘Funland’. Written by screenwriter and playwright Daragh Carville, ‘Middletown’ will be shot on locations in Northern Ireland around Belfast and Glaslough in Co. Monaghan.
This is the second feature film for Michael Casey who produced ‘Freeze Frame’ in 2004. Casey says production will begin on the 20th of November and a five week shoot is currently scheduled. Included in the crew will be ‘Hustle’ DOP Adam Suschitzky, IFTA winning production designer Ashleigh Jeffers (Freeze Frame) and costume designer Lorna Marie Mugan (Tara Road, Intermission, East Is East).
‘Middletown’ has received funding support from the NIFTC and the Irish Film Board. Eclipse Pictures will handle Irish distribution and an UK distributor is to be confirmed. the film is a Green Park Films/Chapter 4 co-production with Martha O’Neill (Ordinary Decent Criminal) and Mark Byrne co-producing.
