Home-grown film-making on the up

Following the success and huge investment brought into Northern Ireland from last year’s Hollywood production CITY OF EMBER, Northern Ireland Screen is pleased to announce a tranche of funding for indigenous film production from home-grown talent, through the Northern Ireland Screen Fund supported by Invest NI. 

In particular, we are delighted to support a slate of low-budget films from the newly launched production outfit Generator Entertainment.  Set up by established producers Simon Bosanquet (Ripley’s Game, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers) and Mark Huffam (Mickybo & Me; Mamma Mia) Generator is embarking on an initial slate of five films, four of which would shoot in Northern Ireland in the first half of this year.

Further films are planned to shoot in Northern Ireland in 2008 and in 2009.The slate is being put together in partnership with Framestore Features and Limelight and is being sold by The Little Film Company out of LA , headed up by Robbie Little, who enjoyed global success with Tsotsi, the Oscar®-winning Best Foreign Language film of 2006.

Filming commenced in Belfast on the 4th of February on the first production from the slate.  RED MIST, a supernatural thriller set in an American teaching hospital, is based on a script by local writer Spencer Wright, directed by Paddy Breathnach (Shrooms; Man About Dog; I Went Down)  and co-produced by Belfast-based Michael Kelly.  It will be closely followed by the second film CHATAKWA FALLS, which is written by local man Richard Crawford, and due to crank up in March.

Northern Ireland Screen will also support Green Park Films’ CHERRY BOMB. Written by Armagh man Daragh Caville (Middletown), the film follows teenagers Luke, Malachy and Michelle as they embark on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars. But what starts out as a game turns deadly serious when the three discover that they can’t get off the wild ride they’ve set in motion. CHERRY BOMB will shoot on location in Northern Ireland and is produced by Belfast’s Michael Casey (Freeze Frame; Middletown; My Boy Jack) and directed by Lisa Barros d’Sa and Glen Leyburn.

Further afield Terry Loane (Mickybo & Me) is to direct a new adventure film entitled VANILLA GORILLA starring Pierce Brosnan (The Thomas Crown Affair; Die Another Day). Written by Craig Gardner, the film centres around an albino gorilla in captivity named Gogo. With the capacity to speak through sign language, he communicates his plight to a litte girl who befriends him, setting in motion an international escape plan. Also produced by Mark Huffam’s Generator Entertainment with Danny Stepper of LA based Bottled Lightning, the film is due to begin shooting in South Africa in early March.

Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen said: “Last year the big Hollywood film afforded a great deal of experience for many local cast and crew and brought over £9m into Northern Ireland.  But we have always sought to nurture local talent and support our indigenous film-makers.  Our latest round of funding to Generator Entertainment and Green Park Films reflects our continued commitment to building a sustainable production sector here.”