Emily Watson (God’s Creatures) appears opposite Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) in the first clip released from Small Things Like These, ahead of the film opening the 2024 Berlinale today.
Deadline has released the first footage from Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson. Watson stars as Sister Mary, a nun concealing the secrets of what appears to be a Magdalene laundry, and Murphy stars as the film’s protagonist Bill Furlong. In the clip Sister Mary guides a nervous Furlong through her convent.
Set in an Irish town in 1985, the film follows coal and timber merchant Bill Furlong in the lead up to Christmas, as he struggles with his conscience and the fear of standing up to church powers upon discovering the local convent’s treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies. The film is based on the novel of the same name by author Claire Keegan, whose novella Foster was adapted for the screen as An Cailín Ciúin.
Joining Murphy and Watson in the cast are Eileen Walsh (The Golden West), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Ciarán Hinds (Kin), and Zara Devlin (Ann).
The Irish-Belgian production is directed by Tim Mielants (Patrick) from an adapted screenplay by Enda Walsh (Disco Pigs). Mielants and Walsh are both frequent collaborators of lead actor Cillian Murphy. Mielants and Murphy previously worked together on series three of Peaky Blinders, and Murphy has starred in a number of Walsh's plays including Misterman and Grief Is The Thing With Feathers.
The production filmed in New Ross, County Wexford for four weeks in early 2023. Quay Street, O’Hanrahan Bridge, Conduit Lane, and Michael Street featured as shooting locations. An estimated cast and crew of 80 people were based in New Ross for five to six weeks during production.
The film was produced by Murphy and Alan Moloney for the recently launched Big Things Films along with Catherine Magee. Matt Damon and Drew Vinton produced the film with executive producers Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, and Michael Joe for Artists Equity. The film was financed by Artists Equity and Screen Ireland, and co-produced in Belgium by Wilder Content. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales.
Running alongside the Berlinale is the European Film Market (EFM). EFM will see five Irish film projects screen at the market to potential international buyers. This line-up includes Kneecap, the Audience Award-winning Sundance hit about Belfast rap trio, Alan Friel’s latest horror film Woken, Belfast-set documentary The Flats, Ken Wardrop’s documentary So This Is Christmas, and Irish/Lithuanian co-production Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania. The market will also showcase a host of feature film projects selling and coming to market.
Irish talent also features across the festival. Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke has been selected for the 26th edition of European Shooting Stars, a prestigious initiative to promote European acting talent. The actor’s selection follows in the steps of Irish actors Ruth Negga, Domhnall Gleeson and Andrew Scott, all previous recipients of the honour, which is presented at the Berlinale Film Festival each year.
The Berlinale is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. Irish film has found critical and audience acclaim at the festival in recent years, including Colm Bairéad's An Cailín Ciúin, which made history by becoming the first Irish language feature film to win a major award at the festival, as well as previous selections such as Laurent Larivière's About Joan and Philippe Falardeau's My Salinger Year.
Small Things Like These will open the Berlin International Film Festival, today, on February 15th, 2024.
