Revealed: Cillian Murphy movie and Knocknaheeny-set drama among new Irish films
Cillian Murphy in Small Things; and right, a scene from Cork-set film Christy.
Movies starring Cillian Murphy and Barry Keoghan and a new film set in Cork city are among the projects being backed by Screen Ireland for 2024.
Screen Ireland, the state development agency for the industry, has launched its new production slate, which comprises over 40 projects across film and TV. More than a third of them were directed or written by new filmmakers.
Among the projects is Small Things Like These, the highly anticipated drama starring Cillian Murphy. It will be the Cork actor’s next role following his Oscar nomination for Oppenheimer.
Adapted from Claire Keegan’s successful novel, Small Things Like These is set in Wexford in 1984 and centres on a coal delivery man who makes a discovery while visiting a local convent.
“I’m delighted for Small Things Like These to be part of the Screen Ireland Slate for 2024,” says Cillian Murphy, who also worked as a producer on the film.
“Working on this film with director Tim Mielants and screenwriter Enda Walsh – as well as the film’s outstanding cast and crew in Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin – was an incredible experience. It’s a wonderful time for Irish filmmaking, and I’m proud to be part of putting Irish stories on the screen that tell us about ourselves: our past and present.”
Alan Maloney, who produced the film with Murphy, says the Cork actor was an early fan of the book. “Cillian was given a copy of the book before it was published, and kind of immediately fell in love with it,” says . “He contacted me, gave it to me, I agreed. And so we very quickly landed on the idea of Enda Walsh. Obviously Cillian has that relationship with Enda going back a very long time. He had a very clear vision for what he wanted for the film from the outset.
“We asked Enda to write the script which he did, and we just moved on that really quickly. Within a very short period of time after getting it we shared it with Artists Equity, which at that point, had been set up by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.” The US stars are also producers on the film.
Also heading to our screens soon is Christy, the debut feature film from Brendan Canty, working with a young cast from Cork.
“Christy is set in the north side of Cork city, in Knocknaheeny,” says director Canty, also a Cork native. “It’s about a 17-year-old foster kid who gets kicked out of his foster home and has to go back in with his half brother temporarily until they find him a place. It's really all about his search for who he is - his search for family and community and identity. It's his journey and his brothers journey to find themselves and each other.”
The movie stars well known Cork actors Alison Oliver and Chris Walley, but the main story focuses on the young emerging cast, says the director.
Other projects being backed by Screen Ireland this year include Bring Them Down, a thriller starring Barry Keoghan about an Irish shepherd who’s drawn into cycle of violence.
“It’s an amazing time to be telling Irish stories," says Keoghan. "Being able to shoot at home with an Irish crew - who are some of the best in the world - is always incredibly special to me. I’m so proud to see how many new filmmakers and actors are coming out of Ireland, ready to take on the world.”
Other movies on the way include Kneecap, featuring the Belfast rappers; Spilt Milk starring Irish actress Danielle Galligan; and Irish-language thriller Fréamhacha.
Irish TV drama will see eight Screen Ireland-supported series this year, including The Boy That Never Was, a thriller coming soon to RTÉ; The Hardacres, a period drama with Channel 5; and the return of a new season of comedy-drama The Dry for RTÉ and ITV.
Susan Bergin, chair of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland said: “On behalf of the Board and staff of Screen Ireland, we’re delighted to launch our 2024 Production Slate, as well as a look back at what a phenomenal achievement 2023 was in terms of the Irish industry’s global reputation and acclaim.”
