‘This Must Be The Place’ Added To The Sundance Festival Line-Up
Filmed on location in Ireland last year, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, directed by Paulo Sorrentino and co-produced by Irish production company Element Films will have its North American premiere at the renowned Sundance Film Festival next month and will now join the Irish features GRABBERS and SHADOW DANCER in the festival line-up.
The film which was backed by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) boasts a host of stars including Academy Award® winners Sean Penn (Milk, Mystic River) and Frances McDormand (Fargo), alongside Irish talent Simon Delaney (Zonad, Happy Ever Afters), Olwen Fouere (Ballykissangel), Kerry Conlon (Rome) and newcomer Eve Hewson, daughter of U2 singer Bono.
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE tells the story of Cheyenne (Sean Penn), a wealthy former rock star living in Dublin, who embarks on a quest to find his father's persecutor, a Nazi war criminal hiding out in the US.
It is an Irish-Italian co-production between Irish production company Element Pictures and Indigo Film and Lucky Red in Italy and had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The film was financially supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ Irish Film Board, Eurimage, Medusa, Indigo Film, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank and ARP Selection France.
Irish films have had a strong presence at Sundance in recent years with the Oscar winning ONCE, along with the box office hit THE GUARD and Ken Wardrop's compelling documentary HIS & HERS all receiving their international premiere there. Last year THE GUARD achieved a major US sale at the festival and HBO bought the remake rights for the Irish documentary KNUCKLE.
The Sundance Film Festival, which was originally founded by Robert Redford, is world-renowned as a showcase for the best in new independent cinema and will take place January 19th - 29th 2012.
MORE ABOUT GRABBERS
GRABBERS, a comedy horror feature filmed on location in Donegal last year and stars Ruth Bradley (Love/Hate) and Richard Coyle (W.E., Prince of Persia). From an original screenplay by Kevin Lehane, the story captures the idyll and charm of a rural Irish fishing village, as the peace of the enchanting Erin Island community is shattered by an invasion of giant squid-like creatures from the sea, known as "grabbers", who start picking off the villagers. Handsome but washed-up local policeman O'Shea (Coyle) is forced to sober up and team up with uptight, teetotal policewoman Lisa (Bradley) to protect the island's population from the tentacled, fang-jawed, barb-tongued creatures.
The film was produced by Forward Films in the UK, Samson Films in Dublin, in association with High Treason Productions, Nvizible and The Salt Company with finance from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ Irish Film Board, the UK Film Council, High Treason, LimeLight and Northern Ireland Screen.
International sales are being handled by The Salt Company whilst Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has acquired UK rights to the project. It is expected that audiences will have an opportunity to see the film in Irish cinemas next year.
MORE ABOUT SHADOW DANCER
Set in 1990's Belfast the film is a heart-wrenching thriller about a woman forced to betray all she believes in for the sake of her son. It is directed by Oscar winner James Marsh (Project Nim, Man on Wire), written by Tom Bradby and has a stellar cast including Clive Owen (Children of Men, Inside Man), Gillian Anderson (The Last King of Scotland) and Andrea Riseborough (Never Let Me Go, W.E). Irish actors include Aidan Gillen (Love/Hate, The Wire) and Domhnall Gleeson (True Grit, Sensation).
SHADOW DANCER is produced by Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney for Element Pictures and Chris Coen for Unanimous Entertainment. The film was funded by the British Film Institute, BBC Films, Wild Bunch Production and LipSync Productions with the participation of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.