'Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy teach us a lot about leadership': Saipan premiere kicks off film festival

Cork actors and friends Alex Murphy and Éanna Hardwicke attend the opening gala of the 70th Cork International Film Festival at The Metropole Hotel ahead of the Irish premiere of Saipan at The Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins.

Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke has said he took a “two-pronged approach” to playing football legend Roy Keane in the new film Saipan, which delves into Ireland's controversy-hit World Cup campaign 23 years ago.

Hardwicke was on the red carpet at the opening gala of the 70th edition of the Cork International Film Festival at the Metropole Hotel, ahead of the Irish premiere of the film at the Everyman Theatre on Thursday evening.

“The film was never a biopic, and I knew that we were always telling our own version of it, so I had a two-pronged approach where I watched, read, and listened to everything I could," he told the Irish Examiner. 

"I took all that in. Then at some point, you just go: 'I’m just playing the man in this script, I’m just playing a person in this situation, and I’m just doing my version of it,'" he added..

Joining the Cork-born actor on the red carpet were wife and husband filmmaking duo Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, along with actor Alex Murphy of The Young Offenders fame.

Murphy, who plays the fictional character of Eddie Power in the film, said: “When I read the script, it was just so character-driven. It’s not just for football fans, it’s for people who like good movies, so that’s what drew me to it.” 

From left: Director of programming Aurelie Godet, Éanna Hardwicke, filmmakers Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, actor Alex Murphy, and festival director Fiona Clark pose before the screening. Picture: Larry Cummins

Asked whose side he would be on if the 2002 public quarrel between Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy — played by Steve Coogan in the film — were to happen today, Hardwicke said: “I remember the World Cup very well. I remember being coached by different adults to say things about which side you’re on. 

I remember thinking ‘I have no idea what’s going on, and I don’t know why everyone’s so angry’

“I think both men can teach us a lot about leadership and management, and I think the style of leadership we look up to now, or we look for, whether in sports or not, is a mix of both men.” 

Éanna Hardwicke plays the role of Roy Keane in 'Saipan'. The Irish premiere took place at 70th Cork International Film Festival 2025 at the Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

Murphy said he was lucky enough to meet Roy Keane, who featured in an episode of The Young Offenders, and described him as a “kind” man.

“He was chatting away to my dad and brother, who are big fans, and he just made the day very enjoyable. So, because I know the man, I’m going to have to say Roy,” he said.

Saipan, which recently had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, attracted a large crowd for its Irish premiere in Cork — and it’s no wonder why. You could say Roy Keane is a bit of a legend in these parts.

Will to win

The film opens in Cork in the 1970s, where a young Keane is seen kicking a ball. Fast forward to 2002, and Ireland’s most driven and gifted midfielder is about to lead the team in the Japan and Korea World Cup.

The wheels come off when Keane, a man with a will to win, takes issue with the training conditions facilitated by the FAI in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Isolated from his team-mates, Keane is tricked into giving an interview about McCarthy’s management. This leads to irreparable damage to their professional relationship.

Frances Sheehan receives the Honourary Shandon Belle Award from Cork Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy and Fiona Clark at the gala event. Picture: Larry Cummins

Other feature films included this year at Cork's oldest festival are Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, which will be introduced by actor Simon Delaney at The Everyman, and Cork filmmaker Brendan Canty’s world premiere documentary Gealtra about the Kabin Crew in Knocknaheeny, also screening at The Everyman.

Sunday will see the Irish premiere of The Disappearance of Captain Nairac, followed by a discussion with director Alison Millar and former IRA man Martin McAllister — who has been involved in the ongoing search for the body of the undercover British soldier believed killed by the IRA in the 1970s.

Among the celebrity guests who will make appearances in the city this weekend are Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, who attended the opening gala red carpet at The Metropole Hotel, and British actor Cherie Lunghi.

Irish film producer Ed Guiney, multi-award-winning Irish costume designer Joan Bergin, and filmmaker Hannah Quinn are among other industry figures attending the festival.

This year, the Irish Examiner supports the Best New Irish Feature Award. This category showcases acclaimed Irish filmmakers and films that are either fully Irish in story and production or in collaboration with talent from across the world.

• The 70th Cork International Film Festival runs from Thursday, November 6, to Sunday, November 16, and tickets are on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and the MyCIFF app. Saipan will be in cinemas across Ireland from January 1.