5 Irish films you must see this year

Everyone knows about the big films in Ireland. Generally they know about the ones with stars such as Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne (although somewhat less so in recent years) or Brendan Gleeson in them. This is not said to disparage their work, more to highlight the difficulties faced by lower budget films or films by lesser known filmmakers to get noticed here. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at 5 films that I am personally interested in seeing this year that you may or may not have heard of yet. These all have the potential to break out and become a hit. Indeed there is much buzz on the festival circuit about some of these films already that it seems likely that at least one two of them might have a decent run at the box office. This to some degree is the whole philosophy behind writing this blog, to try and raise awareness of the types of films that the general public may not usually get to see in any given year. Of note about these films is that there is a dark and hopeless feeling to most which may well reflect the times we live in at this moment.

1. Citadel

This barren and apocalyptic vibed horror received its world premiere at the prestigious SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. It has now won the best Irish first feature at the Galway Film Fleadh and the best film award at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival Filmed on location in Glasgow and Dublin, Ciaran Foy’s film tells the story of a housing estate abandoned by society and the young people left there who have turned feral. They kidnap a young girl and are relentlessly pursued by her father. The film looks ferocious and from the trailer it looks like it cost a bit more than it actually did. Irish people may be interested in a film that intentionally or otherwise reflects our society. Maybe a reflection of our very own ghost estates anyone?

Citadel - Trailer. Watch more top selected videos about: The Citadel (film), James Cosmo

2. Limp

This is a film that really interests me. Perhaps the least known of the films on the list but with a trailer as good as this it surely won’t stay that way for long. Directed by Shaun Ryan and staring Eoin Quinn, Limp tells the story of a relationship told through the eyes of a man whose brain has been diseased by loneliness and isolation. A film that has the potential to be that rarity for Irish film these days: a contemporary dark adult drama for a grown up audience. If it lives up to the beautiful trailer, this could be something special. It is expected to be released during the Summer of 2012.

'Limp' Trailer. from Jack Shepherd. on Vimeo.

3. Dollhouse

Ok, so most of you will have heard of Kirsten Sheridan. She is not exactly an unknown in the film world. But her film, set in contemporary Dublin, recently showed at the Berlin Film Festival and marks it as one to look out for. A story of a home invasion by a gang of crazed youths, Sheridan’s film looks set to be big this year. Sheridan is an interesting filmmaker, with Disco Pigs establishing her as such. She was also nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay for In America. Already doing interesting things in Ireland with the setting up of The Factory in Dublin it looks like Dollhouse could be a successful film for her this year.

4. Charlie Casanova

Regular readers of my blog will know that Charlie Casanova featured on my 10 reasons to be optimistic in 2012 blog piece. The terrific trailer and the confident and aggressive feel of the film made me sit up and take notice. This rarely happens for films made in Ireland. Cinema distribution has already been secured in the UK and Ireland. Premiering at the SXSW festival last year before winning awards at the Galway Film Fleadh and then nominated at the IFTAs, Charlie Casanova has the potential to be a hit, but also the potential to divide audiences. And with most films playing it safe in the current climate, this is no bad thing.

5. Grabbers

This film is perhaps best set to be a big international hit when it comes out. Set on the fictional Erin Island off the coast of Ireland, the very witty premise of a town of people who have to be drunk to survive an alien monster invasion is just too good. The wonderfully silly reason is that their blood will be so toxic from the alcohol that they won’t be eaten. Grabbers looks set to carry on the fine tradition of horror comedies such as Tremors and that is no bad comparison to be made. It premiered in Sundance this year and already seems destined to be a cult classic. Released in cinemas in Ireland August 10th.

This is my list. Now it is over to you. Please let me know if any other Irish films out there have your pulses racing this year.

10 Reasons to be optimistic about Irish Film in 2012

As 2011 turns into 2012 we can reflect on a good year for Irish cinema. Films such as The Guard, Sensation, Parked and One Hundred Mornings were either commercial or critical successes, sometimes both. With finances being tougher than ever in Ireland we could be forgiven for thinking that film could be one of the first casualties of this. Amazingly this may not be the case. Here is a list of reasons why 2012 may well prove to be one of the best years for Irish film both at home and abroad.

1. The Economic Downturn

Yes that’s right, this is a plus. Why? Well, we were never going to be a blockbuster kind of nation. The scale is just too big. With the literary tradition that this country has our cinema should always be about the personal connections. The relationship between people and themes is what we are. Our cinema lost sight of this in the 1990s during The Celtic bleedin’ Tiger and the one massive Hollywood Irish blockbuster we had in Michael Collins. It was decent but compromised, done much better by RTE in The Treaty. At those dizzy heights, with films like Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan being filmed here, we dared to dream. But it could never last and that could only be a good thing for our filmmakers. We have already had a film, Conor Horgan’s One Hundred Mornings which has indirectly dealt with the societal financial meltdown that left us with austerity. There will be more and for that we should be thankful.

2. Michael Fassbender

Few who saw Michael Fassbender in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds would have guessed that this German born actor was Irish. Fassbender’s mother is Irish and he grew up in Kerry. With an upper class English accent and fluent German he seemed very far away from the stereotypical Irish actor. Indeed not many would have thought it was the same man that played Bobby Sands in Steve Mc Queens astonishing Hunger such was the transformation. But Irish he is, and with talk of an Oscar nomination for Shame (Steve Mc Queen’s follow up) growing, we have a seriously good actor on our hands here. Hollywood has also taken notice with Fassbender taking the lead role in the new X-Men film earlier this year. The future is bright for Fassbender with a proposed third collaboration with Mc Queen on the way.

3. The Factory

This city has been crying out for a large creative space for filmmakers to work out ideas for scripts, try out actors, test footage etc. and it may well have finally found it with The Factory. A large warehouse on Barrow Street represents what the future of Irish film may well be. An initiative between filmmakers Kirsten Sheridan and John Carney to find a space for creative output, it now encompasses a collaborative space for all filmmakers to try and create smaller budget films with a distinct Irish feel. There are various studios, editing and screening rooms so that films can be taken from the start of the process to post production. There are two films in post production at the moment, John Carney’s Irish ghost story The Rafters and Kirsten Sheridan’s thriller Dollhouse which will screen at the Berlin Film Festival. These are exciting times for The Factory group.

4. Charlie Casanova

Terry Mc Mahon’s new film is one which may well divide audiences. A great reception at the Galway Film Fleadh last year where Mc Mahon took away the first feature prize does not mean that this film won’t garner controversy along the way. The trailer looks, quite frankly, astounding: terrifying, funny and beautifully shot with what may be a career making performance from Emmett Scanlon in the lead role. This film may not be for everyone which is what may set it apart. A film that divides audiences is no bad thing. Great films like Fight Club and The Tree of Life all have their detractors. Films that explore the darkness of the human soul are always to be welcomed especially in a country where to have that exploration this close up is a rarity indeed.

5. A new generation of filmmakers

For years Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan have carried the hopes of a nation when it comes to Irish films competing on the world stage. As they (seemingly) become a little less important to Irish cinema (though they still may have another great film in them) a new generation of filmmakers have been a long time coming. But there seems to be a new energy in Ireland. As well as the directors mentioned above there are directors such as Conor Horgan, brothers Martin and John Michael Mc Donagh, Tom Hall and Juanita Wilson who are coming to the fore. The subject matters of their films are now exploring Irish themes in a far more direct way. Fast disappearing are the naval gazing films of the ‘troubles’. Juanita Wilson’s As If I Am Not There will represent Ireland in the best foreign film category at this year’s Oscars after previously being nominated for her short The Door. There is also Mark O’Connor (Between the Canals) and Carmel Winters (Snap). If the promise of these filmmakers is realised in the next few years we could see some of the best Irish films ever made.

6. Documentaries

These last few years have been an interesting time for Irish documentaries. In the last two years we have had documentaries coming to the fore: Ken Wardrop’s His & Hers, Maya Derrington’s Pyjama Girls, Sé Merry Doyle’s Dreaming the Quiet Man and Risteard Ó Domhnaill’s The Pipe which have all being critically acclaimed. Crucially most have been shown on the big screen with His & Hers being the most successful film ever at the Lighthouse cinema. Add to this the recent big screen outing for Frank Berry’s Ballymun Lullaby and it is obvious that this is an area in Irish film that we may well see a lot more from.

7. The Return Part I (The Lighthouse Cinema)

There is nothing definitive as of yet but there seems to be two bids in to run the Lighthouse cinema site. We can only hope that this comes to a successful end as the Lighthouse cinema is one of the shining lights in Irish and independent cinema in Ireland. It has been sorely missed on the north side of the city and would be a welcome addition again to the Smithfield area. It would be great to have it again alongside the other great independent cinema in Dublin, the IFI. Fingers crossed in 2012.

8. At Swim, Two Birds

This film may not see the light of day until 2013 but it warrants inclusion on the basis of the ambition and scale on show. To be directed by Brendan Gleeson, it is to have a who’s who of Irish talent on screen. Gabriel Byrne, Cillian Murphy, Michael Fassbender and Colin Farrell have all signed on. With a cast like this, hopes are indeed high. For Gleeson this is a long time passion project and one that has taken years to put the finances into place. The novel by Flann O’Brien is considered a classic and with funding secured, this film has the potential to be a modern classic.

9. The Return Part II (Lenny Abrahamson)

One of Ireland’s most talented directors will make his return in 2012 with his new film What Richard Did. A modern day story about a young sports star whose life is changed after an act of violence, this film promises to be one of the highlights of 2012. It is hard not to expect too much from Abrahamson when two of his previous features, Adam and Paul and Garage, are considered to be great Irish films (I will be hoping to review all three in a director’s spotlight when What Richard Did reaches the cinema this year). Suffice to say this is one to mark down in your diary.

10. Decrease to Capital Funding to the Irish Film Board

Ok, this is not exactly good news for anyone who has an interest in Irish film. Initially the author thought that funding to the IFB had risen by 4 per cent to €2.54m over the 2011 figure. This has now been kindly clarified by the IFB: the 4 per cent rise is in admin funding only. Capital funding has been reduced by over €3 million from the 2011 figure. This is perhaps expected in worsening economic times. This is not great news of course for filmmakers looking for funding for their respective projects. But with the success of The Guard in 2011 and two Irish films being accepted into Sundance this year (Grabbers and Shadow Dancer) the IFB is working hard at maintaining high standards for the coming year. Time will tell how much this reduction will effect the Irish film industry, but working harder to achieve more with less has become the standard in Ireland these last few years.

Unfortunately this means that the list ends on a slightly down note. But my optimism for Irish film in 2012 is undiminished. For me, beginning the year with two Irish films in a major festival is a great beginning to a very interesting year for Irish film. I would like to hear other people’s thoughts on this as I believe it is important to debate the good and the bad in this area. Of course, like anything to do with film, luck will be needed to help makes these various projects a success. For all the optimism for 2012 there is also the chance that the ones listed above will not be quite as good or successful as we hope they would be. But I am equally sure there will be something that I have not mentioned here which could come out and be a success. Let me know what you think that will be below.