World-class Lineup of Irish Stars featured in Calvary and Frank includes
Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Domhnall Gleeson,
Aidan Gillen & Killian Scott
The Irish feature films Calvary and Frank, both of which were supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), will have their world premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, the most prestigious indie festival in the US, in January 2014. It will be another strong showing for the Irish at this prestigious festival, where IFB-funded documentary The Summit and animated short film Irish Folk Furniture won awards in 2013.
Calvary, directed by John Michael McDonagh, is a blackly comic drama about a good priest tormented by his community. It is McDonagh’s follow-up to 2011’s The Guard and again stars Brendan Gleeson (Albert Nobbs, Studs), along with Chris O’Dowd (The Sapphires, Bridesmaids), Aidan Gillen (Mister John, Shadow Dancer), Dylan Moran (Good Vibrations, A Film with Me In It), Domhnall Gleeson (Sensation, Shadow Dancer) and Killian Scott (Good Vibrations, Black Ice). Calvary is produced by Octagon Films and was shot in Sligo and Dublin.
Frank, directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Adam & Paul, What Richard Did) is a comedy about a wannabe musician who joins a band of eccentric pop stars led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank and his terrifying sidekick, Clara. It was written by Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare at Goats) and Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and stars Michael Fassbender (Haywire, Shame), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, Secretary) and Domhnall Gleeson (Sensation, Shadow Dancer). Frank is produced by Element Pictures and was filmed in Wicklow and Dublin.
Commenting on the selection, James Hickey, Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, said:
“Irish film has performed very well at Sundance over the last number of years. Films such as The Guard, Once, His & Hers and The Summit have all been discovered at the festival and have gone on from there to be distributed internationally.
“Both Frank and Calvary showcase the excellent work happening right now in the Irish film industry and they include a world-class lineup of Irish stars including Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Domhnall Gleeson, Aidan Gillen and Killian Scott. It is a very positive start to 2014 for the industry and a great representation for Ireland internationally.”
In 2013, the IFB-funded documentary The Summit and short film Irish Folk Furniture screened at Sundance, where both picked up prizes — the Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary and the Short Film Jury Award for Animation respectively. The Summit was also snapped up by the major American distributor Sundance Selects during the 2013 festival and is currently on release in select Irish cinemas.
For more information contact: Louise Ryan, Marketing & Communications Manager, louise.ryan@irishfilmboard.ie / +353 86-329-7819.
About the Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival, a program of the Sundance Institute, is one of the largest independent film festivals in the United States and takes place annually in Park City, Utah. The 2014 festival will be held from January 16th to 26th. The festival awards jury and audience awards across drama, documentary and short film. One hundred and nineteen feature-length films, representing 32 countries and 51 first-time filmmakers, and 65 shorts were screened at the 2013 festival. For more information, see http://www.sundance.org/festival/.
About Calvary
Calvary is an Octagon Films and Reprisal Films production, presented by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) and the BFI in association with LipSync Productions. International sales are being handled by Protagonist Pictures.
About Frank
Frank is an Element Pictures and Runaway Fridge production, developed by Film4 and financed by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), Film4 and the BFI. International sales are being handled by Protagonist Pictures.
UPDATE: IFB-funded short film The Last Days of Peter Bergmann has also been selected for Sundance. Read more here.