Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Big screen

Latest Film Board funding goes to productions about widows, twins and happiness at Christmas

In the third quarter of this year the IFB approved more than €3 million of funding for various projects.

THE IRISH FILM Board has agreed to provide more than €3 million for a number of new Irish projects.

In the third quarter of this year, it approved funding of between €9,000 and €650,000 for 43 projects including movies, documentaries and television productions.

Brown Bag Films received €100,000 for the production of an animated holiday special called ‘Angela’s Christmas’. The half-hour CG film is based on the popular children’s story by Frank McCourt, inspired by a story his mother told him as a child.

It stars Ruth Negga in the role of Angela’s mother and Lucy O’Connell as Angela and it set in the 1910s. Brown Bag Films describes it as a “funny, heart-warming and poignant story about the power of family and the innocent desire of a child to ensure everyone is safe, warm and loved at Christmas time”.

Its creative director Darragh O’Connell said the animation will have viewers “laughing and crying”.

“The story lends itself beautifully to animation and we are so excited to share this with audiences around the world.”

Screenwriter Stefanie Preissner, who just recently launched a new book, Why Can’t Everything Stay the Same? has received €16,500 for the development of a book adaptation called closerthanthis [sic], which will be made by Parallel Film Productions.

The story focuses on Dublin twins who grow up with biological comparisons to themselves and struggle with finding their own identity and learning how to be enough as individuals.

Director Neil Jordan and Metropolitan Film Productions received €650,000 for their production of a new feature film, The Widow.

Irish actor Stephen Rea is among the cast members in this film which follows a young woman (played by Chloe Grace Moretz) to Manhattan and tells the story of her friendship with an elderly widow (played by Isabelle Huppert).

Rea’s character, a private investigator, is hired to look into the widow who may not have the best intentions in this new friendship. Trinity News reported last month that filming for the movie would take place at Trinity College’s climbing wall in its sports centre.

Other projects that received funding from the Irish Film Board include a development for entitled Missing, Presumed.

Read: The Skelligs take centre stage in the trailer for the latest Star Wars film>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
3
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel