Independent Irish feature film ‘The Mighty Celt’, starring Robert Carlyle, Gillian Anderson and Ken Stott, opens across Ireland and the UK this weekend. Pearse Elliott answers a Q&A about the film he wrote and directed.

‘The Mighty Celt’ is a touching and authentic drama that follows the life of young teenager Donal (played by newcomer Tyrone McKenna), growing up in post-conflict Belfast. Working part-time for local greyhound trainer, Good Joe (Ken Stott), Donal makes a deal with his boss for a chance to own his favourite greyhound -The Mighty Celt - if the canine can win three races in a row.

The films also features fine performances from X-Files star Gillian Anderson who plays Donal’s single mother and Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty, Angela’s Ashes), playing O, an ex-IRA fighter who returns to Belfast reformed and ready to re-build his life.

Shooting on High Def format, the feature began six weeks of principal photography on location in Belfast and Larne during May 2004. Post production took place at the Windmill Lane facilities in Dublin.

Following it’s Belfast premiere last week, ‘The Mighty Celt’ has won good reviews from critics with Sight and Sound describing it as “a fine piece of work” and “a first rate production”. Irish distributor, Eclipse, are confident the film will resonate with it’s Irish audience and are releasing it on 12 screens across the 32 counties.

The 2.8million film is the debut feature directorial outing for Pearse Elliott having cut his teeth on the BBC NI television series ‘Pulling Moves’ which he also wrote. Long acknowledged as a talent to watch in the Irish industry, Elliott was nominated for the IFB/NIFTC Best New Talent Award for his screenplay for the hit comedy ‘Man About Dog’ at the 2004 Irish Film and Television Awards. That film was directed by Paddy Breathnach who adopts the role of producer this time around with Robert Walpole and Paddy McDonald co-producing.

IFTN caught up with Pearse in Belfast where he is busy promoting ‘The Mighty Celt’ before it’s Irish and UK release.

Q: So Pearse, you first wrote the story of ‘The Mighty Celt’ in 1996 which is almost ten years ago now. How do you feel on the eve of its release?

To be honest with you it’s a far better script than it was in 1996 and I felt we needed that period of time for a) me to hone the craft of screenwriting and b) the actual story suits it better now because it was always conceived as a post conflict film.

Q: How much has the story developed since then?

It always had a kid involved but the political stuff would have been much more forefront. Now with those few years of getting older and the caeasefire lasting it makes the story that much more poignant.

Q: And since the recent events in the North with the IRA statement, do you think the film carries any special significance coming out at this time?

I do. Obviously it’s completely co-incidental, but within the film itself we are speaking about a society that has finally come to terms with itself, it’s almost a closure.

Q: Do you think the film could perhaps be dated in a couple of years time because of that?

I don’t think it will be dated because I don’t think there’s going to be another outbreak of IRA violence. I think we’re lucky in terms of what the film is saying because it pretty much has that full stop in it.

Q: The film places as much importance on a child’s life as it does on the adults. Was that an important thing for you to do in ‘The Mighty Celt’?

I think that’s a matter of course. The film kinda throws back to the mythology of Ireland with Cuchulainn and his rites of passage with becoming a hound of Ulster. It also touches on Romulus, getting fed by the

wolves…It’s all those little things that are important in a kid's life, how they survive and how they get through it. So with this film I essentially wanted it to have a big influence on kids. First and foremost this is the Donal’s film, it’s not Robert Carlyle's or Gillian Anderson's, so I think that speaks for itself

Q: How important was it for you to direct the film, did you feel you were ready for the directors chair?

I don’t know about that (laughs) but I do harbour ambitions to do my own stuff and I thought this was a great opportunity for me.

Q: Would you have seen anyone else direct it?

I’m very close friends with Paddy (Breathnach) and he would’ve done a great job with it. I really wanted to direct it and it all just went according to plan. Everybody was very supportive of me doing it, from BBC Films to Treasure and the Irish Film Board.

Alex, he's very much the pampered lion, who loves the attention and is very happy with getting all the attention all the time and he couldn't be happier just staying where he is, but through those misfortunate events, he ends up exactly where he doesn't want to be.

Q: How did directing the feature film compare with your experiences directing ‘Pulling Moves’?

There’s a huge difference, I mean we were shooting three or four pages of the film a day. Filmmaking is just much more serious, you have to take your time and you are dealing with a different calibre of actor. I didn’t really find the process of directing hard but the main thing is you have to be

constantly attentive, twenty-four-seven. You have to pay attention to the smallest details or things will get into trouble. It just takes a greater level of concentration.

Q: And because you wrote the script, you probably knew the material so well at that stage…

Definitely, if there was a gag in a certain scene or there was a certain way I wanted to see people handling dogs, I knew what I needed in every scene that was being shot.

Q: You seem to have quite a strong partnership with Treasure Productions, how did that come about?

I had written another script that was purchased by the people that made ‘28 Days Later’, DNA Films, and they had attached Paddy to direct it. It’s a good project called ‘The Holy Holy Bus’ and I hope some day we will resurrect it. What happened was, we were going along inching towards going into production and then the person that was most supportive of the script left DNA Films and somebody else came in. It was like getting a new football manager and the project lost the impetus it originally had.

Luckily enough, from that I had another script on the go, that was ‘Man About Dog’, and I thought that Paddy would have been brilliant for it. So we were already in together on these two projects and then I told him the story of 'The Mighty Celt'. He kinda looked at me and said ‘You should make that into a script’ and when I did, luckily enough, it all went ahead quickly after that.

Q: Casting the film: Gillian, Robert and Ken, was very important and I think for many viewers, Gillian Anderson’s performance will be the most surprising in that it’s very convincing. What made you sure she was right for the part?

She’s a fabulous actor, I’ve seen her in a stage play and I just knew physically she was right. I think in these things I always rely on my gut instinct and my gut instinct told me that she could pull it off. I think she did.

Q: Do you base that character on anyone you knew?

Most of my characters are an amalgamation of different people, so I find somebody’s merit or flaw and construct them from there.

Q: Were you surprised you managed to secure such big name actors?

I was yes, but thankfully the script was good enough. I kinda thought it would have that impression and they certainly weren’t doing it for the money, that I can tell you.

Q: Carlyle has worked with Ken Loach and Michael Winterbottom in the past, do you think he was attracted to this film in the same way as he was with those earlier pictures?

Carlyle responds to that stuff, I mean you constantly hear him talking about honesty and truth, he thought there was an honesty and truth in the writing of ‘The Mighty Celt’.

Q: Tyrone McKenna, who plays Donal, was an unknown…this being his first film, did you use any techniques to direct him?

I’ve done this in ‘Pulling Moves too, but I am always attracted to people who are the real deal as opposed to the stage school or working actors. My touch would be understating it, I’d say ‘don’t be showing us too much to believe it’.

Q: How important was it for you to tell the story in the way you did; would you have been able to do a traditional Hollywood happy ending?

It was never that type of film, I think I can go between writing a commercial film and writing a personal film, essentially it’s what story you want to tell.

Q: Would you be attracted to making that kind of film, where everything is all sewn up?

I don’t really think its that happy a story in the Celt. What would have been “happy” is that if Celt and Tyrone went on to win the Greyhound Derby, but as you know what happens in the film, it’s not that. But at the end of the day there is always a sensibility that we are making films that people have to go and watch, I don’t want to make something that is going to put people off.

Q: What has been the reaction from audiences both at home and Internationally?

Internationally, I think people are very interested in the film. One of the savvy choices too was bringing in the likes of Gillian Anderson and casting her in this role because audiences respond to her.

At home, so far so good. The reviews from the press screenings have been good but, to be honest with you, I never think things are going especially good after premieres and you never know what to think. But so far, it has been good. People have enjoyed the film.

Q: Your next writing project is the horror feature ‘Shrooms’ to be directed by Paddy Breathnach, can you tell us a bit about that?

I think we’ve got something there. We think if the film is realised and if it goes well, it could be a film that plays anywhere. It will be a film that we’re hoping will be big in America and big internationally.

Q: ‘Shrooms’ is a horror, do you find it easy to cross genres like that, from comedy with ‘Man About Dog’ to drama in ‘The Mighty Celt’ and now to horror?

I think it’s very important to do that. I don’t want to get type cast as somebody who only writes Irish stories. ‘Shroooms’ is set in Ireland but it’s an all American cast and, in the famous horror tradition, it has a non-linear filmmaking style to it too, so that’s another new thing that has come to the fore.

Q: And finally, what advice would you offer somebody who has watched you rise through the ranks?

The main thing would be never to lose heart. To be true to yourself, no matter what just keep writing. This whole game is about people saying no so don’t be so hurt if they do. Just be relentless and don’t give up, ever.

‘The Mighty Celt’ is released across Ireland from the 26th of August 2005, presented by BBC Films, a Treasure Entertainment Production in association with the Irish Film Board and the NIFTC and distributed by Eclipse Pictures.

By Tanya Warren