Film written and shot in Ireland wowing Hollywood

IN Hollywood it would have cost millions of dollars and taken months to shoot, but the burning passion of two film-makers and the support of a community created a powerful period drama in three weeks — and on a shoestring budget.

And it’s already attracting interest from Hollywood.

A Nightingale Falling is the love story of two sisters in 1920s Ireland who put their lives in jeopardy when they rescue one of the hated Black and Tans during the War of Independence.

The sisters’ lives are changed forever as they care for the wounded soldier and gradually become entangled in a crucible of dark secrets and merciless politics.

“They’re already living in fear of the Black and Tans and because of their rescue mission they fear the IRA,” says co-producer Martina McGlynn: “They’re compromised now, no matter what they do. He ends up staying in the house longer than he should have and a love story develops.”

When the movie, which hits the screens nationwide on September 12, was selected for the Galway Film Fleadh in July, it was the only film to receive a second encore screening as a result of box office demand.

A successful screening in Hollywood followed, with executives from Sony, Disney and other industry studios watching.

The positive reaction to the film has led to strong north American and European interest, and say the producers, A Nightingale Falling is set for international distribution next year.

Industry executives were so impressed by the film that last February the film-makers and cast were invited to the Santa Monica headquarters of Star Wars director JJ Abrams to unveil the film at the annual Oscar Wilde event celebrating the Irish in film.

A Nightingale Falling has been selected to open the Underground Film Festival in Dublin on September 11 and, prior to that, the inaugural Sky Road Film and Television Festival in Clifden, which runs from September 5-7.

And yet this film, which is based around a novel by Co Clare writer PJ Curtis, was made on a budget in three weeks.

When Martina McGlynn and Garret Daly of independent production company Mixed Bag Media – noted for its documentary Who is Dervla Murphy — read the book over a weekend in the summer of 2012, they were determined to bring it to the big screen.

It was, a powerfully intense love-story set in rural Ireland during the War of Independence. says McGlynn.

“This is a period not explored widely since The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” she says, adding that they were convinced it would make a brilliant film.

Initial attempts to secure funding were unsuccessful. “We really had a passion for the project so we ploughed ahead, raised a small sum — enough to set the wheels in motion — and started into production in July 2013.”

They decided to film in Co Offaly. It was cheaper than having to travel and they knew the area so well they didn’t have to waste time and money scouting for locations.

The communities of Daingean and Tullamore in Co Offaly and the residents of Tyrell’s Pass gave their wholehearted support to the project.

For three weeks in January 2013 McGlynn and Daly ran classes in January 2013 in film-making, filming and set design in the town hall in Daingean and held a number of public meetings.

Out of these the duo pulled together a core crew of about 40 volunteers, who became crucial to the heart of the production project.

Locals volunteered to help with everything from set design to wood-working, costume-making and acting as extras.

“Some people contributed props, and people on the local Community Employment Scheme helped with set-building and moving equipment,” says McGlynn.

Carpenter Mark Feely volunteered to build the pub set while the Brady family, who owned a traditional shop in Daingean which had been closed for many years, allowed the crew into the premises to film.

The costume-designer provided her services for free, as did the composer who wrote the score, which was later recorded by the Ulster Orchestra.

Muireann Noonan and Anthony Collins opened their home, Springfield House, a classic Irish Georgian Big House to the film crew and it became the location for much of the shoot.

The building was the perfect location, says actress, Tara Breathnach, who plays the main character May Collingwood.

Breathnach – well known to viewers of Fair City and Ros na Rún carried out a lot of research for her role, but says that for her, Springfield House brought it all to life: “We were on location in this beautiful big house with a working farmyard.

It was a miracle the film even got made, says author, broadcaster and record-producer PJ Curtis, a friend of Stephen Spielberg.

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