Fresh from it's successful outing at Festival de Cannes Irish Indie Festival favourite Twice Shy begins it's nationwide release from June 23rd. It has also been the subject lately of some lavish praise from Irish Times Donald Clarke who has hailed it as one of the five films to catch in June that are not of the blockbuster variety
http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/five-films-to-catch-in-june-that-aren-t-wonder-woman-1.3105637
To coincide with this I've republished a piece I did on this remarkable Irish film which contains an interview with it's producer on the eve of it's impending national release.
This indie film
written and directed by Tom Ryan and produced by Fionn Greger is a
project that both have worked on diligently over the past two and a half
years, made on a micro-budget and has been shown in various prestigious
festivals in an attempt to sell to interested distributors.
The film follows the follows the journey of a young couple
played
by Shane Murray-Corcoran and Iseult Casey as they travel to London
for a legal abortion and retells with humour and compassion their
blossoming romance and the family obligations that led to this fateful
journey.
Also featuring the always reliable Pat Shortt and Ardal
O'Hanlon, this is a wonderful heartfelt film, devoid of cliches and
highlights sensitive subject matters in a very "real" manner. It again,
shows the wealth of film making in this small country of ours and
continues the high calibre of quality films being produced not only in
mainstream but also through independent cinema.
Producer of the
film, Fionn Greger was kind enough to answer a few questions that I had
about his experiences whilst making and promoting the movie and how it
has been received:
1. How difficult is it to get an independent movie with a small budget such as this off the ground?
We
were incredibly lucky with the financing for this film, something I
don't expect to happen again. Tom and I approached private investors
about the film and in a short space of time had the funding in place.
That hard money covered our budget so it meant we didn't need to go in
search of sort money or funding like most other films do.
2.
How has it been received on the festival trail and is there any festival
in particular that stands out as a highlight on touring with the film?
Generally
Twice Shy has received a lot of love on the festival trail. This I
think is part down to the movie's quality and character. Its a micro
budget movie that punches way above its weight and we tell a story that
hasn't been told in Irish cinema previously. That immediately makes it
stand out. I couldn't circle one festival in particular because there
were moments in all of them I'll never forget.
3. Has the success and high quality of Irish films in the past few years been off any assistance in promoting the film?
The
success of Irish films the past few years has certainly helped us as
international buyers are taking notice and want to find the next success
story. I feel Irish films are taken much more seriously now by
distributors who see a demand and return from audiences worldwide.
4.
Do you feel that if the film becomes labelled as an "abortion" related
film that it will take away from what is a heartfelt coming of age love
story that also deals with other weighty issues such as depression etc?
I
always knew the film would get labelled with the abortion tag. The
story is too original for it not to be, but in the world of indie film
you need your film to stand tall against the other films which might
have big names and big advertising budgets. If we can grab headlines
about our film, which gets audiences into see it, I'm confident they
will then see it as the heartfelt story about a young couple which it
is.
5. How has the whole experience been of seeing your
project grow and now gain momentum to hopefully reach the audiences that
it deserves?
The whole experience of making a film is
almost worthy of writing book. It is a roller coaster of emotions, that
starts with two people having a conversation. Then a couple of years
later and you find yourself in a dark room full of people and you're
about to screen it for the first time. It takes a massive push to get it
to the finish line but if you love the experience of it then its
ultimately a pleasure to see it through.
Twice Shy goes on a limited nationwide
release in Ireland from June 23rd and if you have the opportunity to go see it, this a
film well worth watching.
For further information check out Twice Shy Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TwiceShyMovie/
