Irish feature film Four Mothers, from A Date For Mad Mary director Darren Thornton, has picked up the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the BFI London Film Festival.
The film, which is being released by Break Out Pictures in the UK & Ireland next Spring, tells the story of Edward (James McArdle), a novelist saddled with caring for his elderly mother (Fionnula Flanagan), who finally finds himself on the brink of literary success. Busy with the demands of his upcoming book tour, the last thing Edward needs is his friends leaving their mothers on his doorstep as they head off on an impromptu Pride holiday.
Over a chaotic weekend, Edward must juggle his burgeoning career with the care of four eccentric, combative, and wildly different ladies. Four Mothers is a tender and heartwarming comedy that is set to delight cinema audiences next year with a stellar cast including James McArdle, Fionnula Flanagan, Dearbhla Molloy, Stella McCusker, Niamh Cusack, Paddy Glynn, Rory O’Neill, Gordon Hickey, and Gearoid Farrelly.
Speaking ahead of the world premiere, director Darren Thornton said: “We're thrilled to be having the world premiere of Four Mothers at LFF, it's such a beautifully curated festival, and one we love to attend as film fans. It's the perfect place to start our ;Four Mothers journey as we gear up for a wider theatrical run in the UK and Ireland next Spring.”
Four Mothers is directed by Darren Thornton, written by Colin Thornton and Darren Thornton and produced by Eric Abraham, Jack Sidey, and Martina Niland. It is a Port Pictures, Portobello Films and Television Production, and financed by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the Common Humanity Arts Trust, Coimisiún na Meán, and RTÉ.
Other winners announced at the festival included Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson’s Holloway, which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary and follows six women who were formerly incarcerated at what was once the largest women’s prison in Europe; and Jamie Benyon’s Two Minutes, which picked up the Audience Award for Best Short Film and tells the tale of two brothers, who are interrupted by their grandmother while they are robbing an off licence.
This year’s Festival featured 12 days of screenings in London and UK-wide with features, series, shorts, immersive art and extended reality works via LFF Expanded, LFF For Free events, and the LFF Industry Forum reached audiences of 230,342, which was up from 2023’s 194,960, an increase of 18%.
The festival opened with the world premiere of Steve McQueen’s Blitz starring Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Stephen Graham and Benjamin Clementine. Irish director John Crowley’s new film We Live In Time also premiere as part of the Mayor of London’s Gala, with Crowley and lead actor Andrew Garfield in attendance. Tailored Films’ new films The Apprentice and Bring Them Down both premiered at the film festival following their world premieres in TIFF.
Click here for more information about the BFI London Film Festival.
