The US feature film ‘Secret of The Cave’, shot on location in Ireland last year, and the Irish short film ‘Emily’s Song’ will be presented with a Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 19-27.
The feature ‘Secret of the Cave’ was created by the US Southern Adventist University with assistance from students and faculty, is one of five films to receive this award out of 120 dramatic features submitted. As a winner of the Crystal Heart Award, ‘Secret of the Cave’ is eligible for the Grand Prize for Best Dramatic Feature Award at the festival which includes a cash prize of $100,000.
‘Secret of the Cave’ was filmed in 2005 on Achill Island, Mayo with a crew made up key film professionals, university students and lecturers. With the exception of American Actor Kevin Novotny, who portrayed Roy, the entire cast was made up of Irish actors. Patrick Bergin (Patriot Games, Sleeping With the Enemy) leads the starring cast with Sean Murphy (Fair City), Jim Roche, Niall O’Brien (Capital Letters, Braveheart) and Maria McDermottroe (Killinaskully, Veronica Guerin) also featured. “We worked with an extremely talented cast,” said Zach Gray, film director and professor in the School of Visual Art and Design, “and they helped bring the characters to life.”
Based on Arthur S. Maxwell’s 1920’s children’s book, ‘Secret of the Cave’ is a suspenseful tale of an American boy, Roy, who visits a small fishing village in Ireland. Roy uncovers who is behind the puzzling events that are a mystery to the townsfolk. The film’s narrative is based on the words of Jesus found in Matthew 25:40: “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (NIV).
Emily’s Song
The Irish short film ‘Emily’s Song’, starring Irish comedian Jason Byrne, has scored a $2,500 cash prize at the Heartland Festival. The 15 minute short is written, directed and produced by Frank Kelly and Thomas Kennedy. The film tells the story of Fintan and Ralph, two Irish brothers, who put aside their petty quarrels to help their father get through his grief following the death of their mother.
’Emily’s Song’ recently premiered in Drogheda, where it was filmed in 2005, and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. The crew behind ‘Emily’s Song’ have just completed work on a musical promo for Dublin band Boss Volenti for their first single ‘Opposite Directions’.
Further info: www.secretofthecave.com | www.heartlandfilmfestival.org
