Risteard Ó Domhnaill’s ‘Atlantic’ has been announced the winner of the 2016 SDGI Director’s Finders Series, providing the director with the opportunity to showcase his feature film at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in LA on June 17th with the aim of securing a US distribution deal for the film.
From the maker of ‘The Pipe’, Risteard Ó Domhnaill's ‘Atlantic’ was released to Irish cinemas on April 29th and takes on the powerful interests carving up Ireland's ocean resources. Emmy Award-winning actor Brendan Gleeson narrates the film shot across Ireland, Norway and Newfoundland (Canada) by Scannáin Inbhear (Inver Films).
‘Atlantic’ was awarded Best Irish Documentary at the Dublin International Film Festival 2016.
After previously taking a behind-the-scenes look at Ireland’s Corrib Gas controversy, O’Domhnaill realised that a wider story of resource mismanagement was emerging — one that needed to be told for the sake of coastal communities everywhere. ‘Atlantic’, which started as an ambitious crowdfunding project and is now backed by the Irish Film Board, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation and Nordnorsk Filmsenter (the North Norwegian Film Centre), is that story.
‘Atlantic’ follows the fortunes of three small fishing communities as they struggle to maintain their way of life in the face of mounting economic and ecological challenges. As the oil majors drive deeper into their fragile seas, and the world’s largest fishing companies push fish stocks to the brink, coastal people and the species they rely on may be reaching a point of no return.
Check out our interview with Risteard Ó Domhnaill about ‘Atlantic’ here.
Conceived by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and facilitated by the SDGI , the Director’s Finders Series presents an Irish director with an opportunity to showcase their film and to have direct access to decision makers in the film distribution process in the US. The awards spotlight works of fiction, documentary or drama feature submissions from Irish directors who have not secured U.S. distribution of their films.
Previous winners of the Director’s Finders Series have gone on to make a significant impact on the international film stage, with five previous winners, including Ian Power’s ‘The Runway’ and Tomm Moore’s ‘The Secret of Kells’, getting a US distribution deal. Previous winners also include Mark Noonan’s ‘You’re Ugly Too’ and Terry McMahon’s ‘Patrick’s Day.
