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Marian Quinn's '32A' Released at IFI This Week
14 Aug 2008 : By Róisín Cronin
Marian Quinn
Marian Quinn’s debut feature ‘32A’ will be screened at the IFI from the 15th - 28th August. IFTN caught up with the talented director and scriptwriter to chat about the bumpy road to seeing her film on the big screen and the wide audience the film has attracted.

Winner of the Best Feature 2007 at the Galway Film Fleadh, ‘ 32A’ is a nostalgic look at growing up (and getting your first bra) in Dublin in 1979. The film, set in Quinn’s native Raheny, follows 13 year-old Maeve (Ailish McCarthy) caught in the “in-between” time of her adolescence and illustrating the ups and downs of young female friendships; in the new world of boys, bras and growing up fast.

The cast includes four newly-discovered young Irish actresses; Ailish McCarthy; Sophie Jo Wasson; Orla Long and Riona Smith, supported by major Irish stars, Orla Brady (Proof, Mistresses) and Marian’s brother, Aidan Quinn (Michael Collins, Song for a Raggy Boy).


32A

Marian began her ascent into filmmaking working as an actress in theatre and independent film in New York, however through this period she believed she would always end up as a writer. ‘32A’, her debut feature film to make it to the big screen, was her first screenwriting project. “I started writing ‘32A’ and it was the first thing I had written,” says Quinn. “People always say write what you know or what’s close to you as your first attempt. I made a couple of short films and wrote lots of other scripts in between before I got ‘32A’ financed.”

Having scooped the Tiernan McBride Award for Screenwriting in 2002, people started to become interested in the film but finding the funds proved to be a long and bumpy road for Marian and her producer Tommy Weir, as she explains; “We were unlucky in that funding always fell apart. It had always been co productions with other countries - like the first time it was with an Australian sales agent and then something happened with their company and that fell apart. We had a few near misses and it was about trying to get money from the Irish Film Board. In the end we had money from two German funds and also a sales agent so the film’s actually an Irish/German co- production.”


32A

So how did this German co-production come about? “Tommy, my partner and producer, was doing EAVE ( European Audiovisual Entrepeneurs) which is a week long training session and support group for producers from all over Europe. It was here that Tommy came into contact with a German producer who was interested in helping fund the project.” Appreciating the advantages of EAVE, Marian states, “it is a great networking system for European co productions and in our case it has proven to be true.”

The budget for the film was approx €1.5 million. “Some people may think that’s a lot but if it’s a period film and you have a large cast, a lot of children and a lot of restrictions in terms of time.” Despite having a tight shooting schedule (the film was shot in 28 days), this didn’t hinder the creative element of filming which Marian took advantage of; “It sometimes puts pressure on you in a good way so you really get creative and think of how you can shoot a scene all in one and it might work really well.”

The film was shot in various locations in Raheny and Clontarf, including St Anne’s School and the legendary school disco in Raheny, The Grove. Transforming these modern satellite filled suburbs into the 1970’s was a huge challenge for the team but was made possible thanks to the coupling of creative cinematography and production design from PJ Dillon (Kings) and Paki Smith (Man About Dog) respectively. Cinematographer Dillon made use of shots on long lenses where all the background was thrown out of focus, hence saving on dressing the backgrounds of which the film couldn’t budget for, and this in turn became a kind of “look” for the film. From the old cars, to the Cornflakes box on the table, production designer Paki Smith recreates an authentic and rich palette of 1970’s Dublin, which is equally complimented with 1970’s costumes by designer Driscoll Calder (Fallout, Hide & Seek).

The production team also moved to the west of Ireland for a week of filming at the classic Gold Department Store and a local chipper in Sligo. “Things like that were easier to find there than in Dublin,” says Quinn of the unique locations, and her friend’s mothers house provided the setting for the Brennan’s family’s house in the film. “People were really generous and helpful. We needed that on our budget - we needed a lot of good will.”


Marian Quinn with young actors on set

In relation to the search for the four young actresses, Marian reveals that she never had an exact idea in her head of what the girls should look like and that “they bring something different to what you hadn’t previously thought of.” Marian’s background in theatre games and improvisation was the preferred method for casting instead of standard script readings.

Ailish McCarthy, who plays the lead role of Maeve Brennan, was discovered towards the end of casting process. Due to the nature of the Maeve’s character, Marian explains the difficulty in casting the role: “The thing about Maeve is that when you’re actually casting, it is that she is more of an observer to all these things. So it was difficult to audition somebody who needs be watching instead of taking the lead all the time.” The director believes her attraction to Ailish when casting the role was due to “a quality of innocence about her,” and she felt that “the audience would root for her though she might be doing wrong but would stay with her throughout.”

Having such a young cast proved energetic for the other cast and crew as Marian recalls how the four girls arrive on set the first day “screaming.” Between takes of one certain scene where Ruth’s father (Jared Harris) is driving the girls back home, “they (the girls) were singing at the top of their lungs. Even Jared Harris was joining in. He was like ‘if you can’t beat them join them!’” However the girls proved very professional for first timers on set and everyone treated them like professionals. Aidan Quinn, Marian’s brother also starred as Maeve’s father in the film, while Orla Brady plays his wife. Quinn says of the pairing; “I thought herself and Aidan made a really good screen couple - very believable.”


Orla Brady & Aidan Quinn

In addition to writing and directing the movie, Marian also stars as one of the four girl’s mothers. She claims that this was not a role she originally had in mind for herself though it proved an easy transition from director to actress, “I knew the character intimately and I knew what I wanted her to be.”

Although based on the adolescent experience of four young girls, the nostalgia of the 1970’s Dublin coupled with the insight into a young girls life has proven to appeal to a much wider audience for the film; “after many screenings, I have had mainly men responding afterwards well” says the director. She believes it’s an insightful look for them at a girl’s coming of age experience as well as relating to Shane McDaid’s character in the film - the guy waiting for the girl on the doorstep, while her family take sneaky looks at him.


32A

A retro soundtrack compliments the themes and zeitgeist of ‘32A’, with songs from Blondie, Elvis Costello and Rory Gallagher, as well as an original score by composer Gerry Leonard (formerly of Hinterland). Music legend David Bowie also lent his song ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ to the soundtrack, a favour for Leonard who was previously a guitarist in Bowie’s band. Marian is “thrilled” with the soundtrack, although says, at times, “it was a bit nail biting in between…If you think the film business is slow and difficult, the music business is a whole thing I hadn’t had anything experienced before!”

So, with ‘32A’ finally reaching the big screen, what is next for Marian and her production company Janey Pictures? “I’ve just finishing up a script about a love story set in New York about fifty something year olds, but I have a script that which we’re funding at the moment and which we will be filming in the North West of Ireland. So hopefully we will be shooting that late next year.”

  • 32A’ is a Janey Pictures / Flying Moon Production, in association with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and RTE with the participation of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board.
  • Having won Best Feature Film at last year’s Galway Film Fleadh, ‘32A’ has enjoyed screenings at festivals in Berlin, Seattle and Melbourne. It will also be screened at upcoming international festivals including Mill Valley in San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Woodstock and Madrid and screening in Paris in December.
  • The film is on a limited two week release at Dublin’s IFI from 15 – 28 August, followed by a nationwide tour and release.
  • Tickets from IFI box office: Tel: +353 1 6793477 or book online at www.irishfilm.ie

 





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