Michael Moynihan: We need a film tsar for Cork and I'm up for the task
Brad Pitt waves to fans as he leaves the set in Ballyadams.
Attention. I wish to nominate myself for a position representing Cork, and your support may be required for me to secure this prestigious appointment.
The background first, though. You’re aware, no doubt, that Brad Pitt was in town recently?
You’re not? Then you need to log onto social media to view the not-at-all-suspiciously-AI-looking photographs of Brad around the town, or to read about the questions he supposedly asked (where’s the best pub in Cork? Who’ll be at 3 and 6 this Saturday evening in Waterford? Has the toilet down the Marina opened?*)
On a more serious note, Niamh Griffin reported the details here last Friday. Some local fans were alerted to the possibility that Pitt might be around by the fact the film company making , a film partly set in Ireland, had written to residents near the airport advising them of a road closure.
Duly forewarned, they staked out the route and one of them told Niamh the Oscar-winner finally appeared: “He pulled down the [car] window to say hello to people, but his security then wouldn’t let him, and they’re the ones who drove on.
“But he did actually sign a young boy’s piece of paper. I’m not sure what he had [in his hand], but he did definitely sign something.
“He just said a quick hello and thanked everyone.”
Brad isn’t the only famous actor who has been in Cork recently. Adam Scott, of and fame, was talking just last week about his love for the county, which developed as he spent time here shooting the horror movie , which is in cinemas now.
“West Cork, and Skibbereen specifically, is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” the actor said, adding: “I stayed at the Liss Ard Estate. There were a lot of people either on their honeymoon or on their anniversary trip. I was just the American weirdo staying upstairs. I loved it.”
Two weeks ago, the makers of a film about James Stewart — — were also rhapsodising in these pages about Cork, having used parts of the county to double for wartime England and rural Pennsylvania.
Producer-director Aaron Burns said: “We enjoyed eating at The Fish Basket and eating at The Church Restaurant in Skibbereen and a bunch of other places in town that welcomed us. We ate way too many pastries from Fields Bakery.” Truth.
On one hand, we shouldn’t be too surprised at this adoration, given the raw materials are at hand.
Could we do more to attract such productions, though? It was interesting to note Aaron Burns’s praise for the local community (“We had so much support, no negativity from anyone and location owners willing to let us come and film there”), which is important, but the significance of specific technical aid can’t be underestimated either.
Take West Cork Film Studios.
“Without that studio, we couldn't have done it, because we had to recreate most of our LA scenes that were in a film studio,” said Burns.
“The shooting at the back lot of — we had to have that facility.” That praise was echoed by director Damian McCarthy: “Édaín O’Donnell and Stephen Park, the founders of the studios, both have years of experience in filmmaking.
“I had worked with them on Oddity, but this was my first time working in West Cork Studios . . . because the set was such a large build, we needed a proper space — and that’s exactly what West Cork Studios is designed for.”
See, this is where I come in. I think we’ve established beyond doubt that stars big and small are interested in coming to Cork to film, and that producers and directors are equally interested in working on Leeside.
The fact there’s a studio space which caters directly to their needs is surely a big inducement to those film professionals, not to mention the presence of a handy international airport (unless Brad Pitt needs the approach roads shut down, but still).
What we need now is a film tsar for Cork, and yours truly wishes to express an interest in such a role.
I don’t know when tsar became the appropriate name for such positions — Grand Vizier and Voivode of the South would be my own preference — but I am willing to take up the burden of any such title if it comes with sweeping powers and a vast wage (readers may recall last year’s controversy over the Government’s choice for housing tsar, who was to retain a salary of approximately €430,000 a year).
This is an important job. Recent reports from New York new(ish) mayor Zohran Mamdani is appointing assemblyman Rafael Espinal as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
The office coordinates permits and the like for film and TV shows which shoot in New York, an industry which has flagged of late, according to the : “Between 2005 and 2020, film and television jobs increased by almost 114%.
“But since the start of the pandemic in 2020, film and television jobs have decreased by 19%, according to a report from the Center for an Urban Future.
“The decline has been attributed to a slow post-pandemic recovery, the increased use of artificial intelligence, labour strikes and the increasing costs of producing film and television in the city.”
That same report was a little sniffy about Mr Espinal’s qualifications, saying he is to replace someone with “... decades of experience in the film and production industry ... Mr Espinal... has considerably less relevant experience — most of which is confined to his short film , a movie about how 'broken systems' can hurt families. It is currently in postproduction.”
(Did I say a sniffy? There are lessons here for us, and not just that your short movie about broken systems can be used as a bit of a punchline.
If New York is experiencing a downturn as a prime location for film and TV production, then we can leave nothing to chance, and a figurehead needs to be appointed immediately to fly the red and white flag in Hollywood, as well as other extremely glamorous locations.
The fact New York has appointed someone with “considerably less experience” than their predecessor may be a cause for concern in Manhattan, but in my own case, I see that as a recommendation.
If it takes putting up with expensive meals, fine wines, luxury hotels, chauffeur-driven cars, first-class flights, openness to bribery and influence, and — yes! — shutting down the road by the airport to get Hollywood big shots to Cork, I am here and willing to serve as the city’s film tsar.
It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to be underqualified enough to do it.
*Answers: The Long Valley or Callanan’s, or the Mutton Lane, or the Corner Flag; Damo and Eoin respectively; yes, over six months later: well done to Peter Horgan on that score.
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