Lenny Abrahamson’s IFTA-winning triumph ‘What Richard Did’ continues its success on the world stage following its selection for this year’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
The powerful cinematic adaptation of Kevin Power’s novel ‘Bad Day in Blackrock’ has enjoyed continuous critical acclaim since its premiere at the Toronto International Film festival in September 2012 and the BFI London Film Festival, and has been widely embraced by Irish audiences.
It was awarded five IFTA’s last month including Best Film; Best Director; Best Film Script; Best Actor for Jack Reynor; and Best Editing Film/Drama for Nathan Nugent. Malcolm Campbell was also awarded Best Screenplay at the Evening Standard British film awards.
As first reported on IFTN, the film brought Jack Reynor to the attention of Hollywood action director Michael Bay, leading to his casting in the upcoming blockbuster Transformers 4 alongside Mark Wahlberg, and his signing with US talent agency WME.
Founded by Robert DeNiro, the Tribeca festival runs from April 17-28 and celebrates notable accomplishments in film, music and culture.
Expectations are now sky-high for Lenny Abrahamson’s next feature ‘Frank’, an eccentric comedy about a young musician which takes the unusual step of obscuring its star Michael Fassbender’s beneath a fake head with a painted-on face. ‘Frank’ is currently in post-production and co-stars Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Producer Ed Guiney (Element Pictures) said of the ‘What Richard Did’s Tribeca selection: ‘Tribeca is one of the powerhouses of independent cinema in America and we could not have better backers for its North American release.’
Element Pictures is currently working on BBC co-production ‘Quirke’, a miniseries based on John Banville’s novels written under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, featuring Gabriel Byrne as a chief pathologist tasked with investigating a series of deaths in 1950’s Dublin.
