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RTÉ News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Cork director Brendan Canty 'floored' by top prize at Galway Film Fleadh for feature debut Christy
Brendan Canty, the director of the acclaimed new Irish film Christy, has told RTÉ Entertainment he is "floored" by the response to the coming-of-age drama and its Best Irish Film win at the Galway Film Fleadh last weekend. Written by Alan O'Gorman, Christy stars newcomer Danny Power (The Young Offenders) alongside Diarmuid Noyes (Pure Mule: The Last Weeken d, Five Minutes of Heaven). The film follows troubled teenager Christy (Power) after he is thrown out of his foster home and moves in with his estranged brother Shane (Noyes) and his young family on Cork's northside. Watch: The trailer for Christy Christy opens in cinemas on 29 August. "I always knew the home screening would be something special, but I wasn't prepared for just how powerful it would be," Cork director Canty told RTÉ Entertainment after his feature debut's Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this month. "It was honestly one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. To then go on and win - that was the cherry on top." "Even before the screening, during our panel talk, I could feel it - the audience were really hanging on our every word," he continued. "There was such a buzz in the room. And when the film played, the atmosphere was full of warmth and genuine love. You could sense that people were rooting for it, and that kind of support really floored me." Christy 's cast includes Emma Willis (Vikings, The Young Offenders, Dating Amber), Alison Oliver (Saltburn, Conversations with Friends), Chris Walley (Bodkin, The Young Offenders), and Helen Behan (The Virtues, This Is England '90). The film also features members of The Kabin Studio, a Cork-based community arts collective known for its work in hip-hop and spoken word, and whose Kabin Crew enjoyed a viral hit last summer with The Spark, recorded in collaboration with Lisdoonvarna Crew. The Dublin-based Sleeper Films is among the producers of Christy, which has been funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and BBC Film. Earlier this year, Christy won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. Now, director Canty is relishing an Irish cinema release after his debut's success at the Galway Film Fleadh. "I've always believed in this film - the community behind it, the heart that went into it - but seeing how it connected with an Irish audience has made me even more sure," he said. "It's a deeply Irish film, full of hope, humour, and heart. I think it'll really land with people when it hits cinemas." The Galway Film Fleadh winners in full: Best Irish Film: Christy Best Irish First Feature: Horseshoe Best Irish Feature Documentary: Sanatorium Best International Short Animation: Luz Diabla Joe McMahon Award for Best International Short Drama/Fiction: Heat Me Best International Short Documentary: The Miracle of Life and We Were the Scenery (joint winners) Best First Short Animation: One Track Mind James Flynn Award for Best First Short Drama: Internal Bleeding Best Cinematography in a Short Film: The Axe Forgets Peripheral Visions Award: Vitrival - The Most Beautiful Village in the World Generation Jury Award: Where the Wind Comes From Best International Feature Film: Dragonfly Best International Documentary: Gerry Adams - A Ballymurphy Man Best International Independent Film: Adult Children Best Cinematography in an Irish Film: Listen to the Land Speak Best Documentary Project: John Lennon's Island Audience Design Award: Beneath the Surface Best Marketplace Project: Ten Mickeys Pitching Award: The Body + Blood Bingham Ray New Talent Award: Jessica Reynolds Best Irish-Language Feature Film: Báite James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short: Éiru Best Independent Irish Film: Solitary and Girls and Boys (joint winners) Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama: Three Keenings
Sunday World
12-07-2025
- Sunday World
Prisoner used €5k of drug money on ‘Young Offenders' jaunt in Ibiza
"But there's no way this lad would be able to afford a few weeks in the sun.' TUI has some new offers for party hols A prisoner alleged to have spent €5,000 in drug money on a sun holiday in Ibiza has been placed on protection on his return to custody. It's understood the prisoner, a habitual shop-lifter who regularly serves short stints in Cork prison, had been given the money to fund the smuggling of drugs back into the prison. Instead, a source said, on his return to custody, the only think he had on him was a tan. 'He's a colourful character but he's landed himself in a serious bit of bother this time, the source said. TUI has some new offers for party hols News in 90 Seconds - Saturday July 12 'He came back in the start of the months and immediately requested to be put on protection. 'He said there was a few hundred euros out to have him sliced up. 'He said he was given a sum of €5,000 to get drugs to bring back into the prison with him. 'He claimed he gave the money back. 'But there's no way this lad would be able to afford a few weeks in the sun. 'It's like something out of The Young Offenders to be honest. 'You can almost picture him living it up in a pair of budgie smugglers over in Ibiza on their whack.' 'He's a few connections in his own right so it'll probably be sorted in the end. 'But he's going to have to keep his head down for now.' The source said the money the prisoner is alleged to have blown on his holiday abroad is suspected to be owed to a convicted heroin dealer with a reputation for violence. 'These would be serious enough players he's in deep with now,' he said. 'Not to mention the fact there were lads waiting inside for the delivery. 'He won't be sleeping easy in here for a while.'
RTÉ News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Christy, one of the best Irish films, opens in cinemas in August
Christy, the Cork-set feature debut of Irish director Brendan Canty, will open in cinemas on 29 August following its award-winning world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year. The acclaimed coming-of-age story won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury in Berlin in February. Christy stars newcomer Danny Power (The Young Offenders) alongside Diarmuid Noyes (Pure Mule: The Last Weekend, Five Minutes of Heaven). "Seventeen-year-old Christy (Danny Power) is at a crossroads," says the synopsis. "Kicked out of his suburban foster home, he moves in with his estranged older brother Shane (Diarmuid Noyes) and his young family. "As far as Shane is concerned, this is a temporary arrangement, but Christy begins to feel at home on Cork's working-class northside. "As he makes friends and begins to let the community in, he also reconnects with his past through his seemingly more corrupting extended family, despite Shane's efforts to protect him. "Shane wants something better for Christy at any cost - even if it means he has to push him away. "As the brothers look to reconcile their turbulent past, their family and the community around them offer hope for Christy's future." Joining the leads are Emma Willis (Vikings, The Young Offenders, Dating Amber), Alison Oliver (Saltburn, Conversations with Friends), Chris Walley (Bodkin, The Young Offenders), and Helen Behan (The Virtues, This Is England '90). "The film also features members of The Kabin Studio, a Cork-based community arts collective known for its work in hip-hop and spoken word," the synopsis adds. "In 2024, The Kabin Crew's viral hit The Spark, recorded in collaboration with Lisdoonvarna Crew, amassed over one billion views and was hailed as the 'song of the summer' by The New York Times." Christy 's Irish premiere will take place at next month's Galway Film Fleadh with star Diarmuid Noyes nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the festival. Following Christy 's Irish cinema release on Friday 29 August, it will open in UK cinemas on Friday 5 September. The Dublin-based Sleeper Films is among the producers of Christy, which has been funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and BBC Film.
Extra.ie
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
WATCH: First trailer for SAIPAN drops as infamous Keane-McCarthy feud back in spotlight
A teaser trailer for the eagerly anticipated SAIPAN has been released, with Éanna Hardwicke starring as Roy Keane and Steve Coogan in the role of Mick McCarthy. The movie tells the story of the rivalry and feud between Republic of Ireland football captain Roy Keane and national team manager Mick McCarthy during preparations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW Production on the movie began last year, with speculation that the movie is set for release this summer. A scene from SAIPAN. Pic: WildCard Distribution The intense rivalry between Keane and McCarthy in the lead-up to Ireland's 2002 World Cup campaign gripped the entire nation and the sporting world. Award-winning filmmakers Lisa Barros D'sa and Glenn Leyburn are on directing duties with the script by Paul Fraser. BAFTA nominated Éanna Hardwick brings Corkman Keane to life while two-time Academy Award nominee Steven Coogan plays the Irish head coach. Other well known names who have acting credits in SAIPAN include Jamie Beamish (Derry Girls); Alex Murphy (The Young Offenders) and Harriet Cains (Bridgerton). Macdara Kelleher and John Keville are producing the film for Wild Atlantic Pictures alongside Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films. Last year, it was revealed that a mansion on Belfast's northside was used for filming, with the location set up as the house of McCarthy. Producers Kelleher and Keville previously said: 'A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan. 'Next year, audiences will finally get to experience first-hand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labelled 'the worst preparation for a World Cup campaign ever.''
Irish Examiner
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'I was not good at Irish': Alex Murphy on Crá, the series watched in 68 countries
It's the little Irish-language series set in a local parish as it aimed to unravel a troubling and mysterious death. Now Irish crime drama Crá has become a global sensation with audiences - after being snapped up by TV networks and streamers in no fewer than 68 countries. Among the international broadcasters showing the series are BBC, high-profile French channel ARTÉ and the AMC/Acorn TV networks in the US. Crá's growing international appeal has come as welcome news to its cast and crew - including Cork actor Alex Murphy, who brushed up on his Irish to take on his first-ever Irish-language role. 'I did not anticipate the success of the show - I was just delighted with the opportunity to get back into a bit of Irish and connect to my roots,' says the actor, best known for his role as Conor in The Young Offenders, the latest series of which is currently filming in Cork. 'Then it came out, and I saw just how good it was and how well it was put together, and to hear it's doing well all around the world, and being sold all around the world is just amazing - our little language spreading. We love to see it.' Alex Murphy in Crá. With the Irish language at the forefront of a cultural drive among artists, filmmakers and musicians, the success of films like the Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin and Belfast rapper movie Kneecap has also help drive interest internationally, with several other films and series as Gaeilge coming to our screens. It means that actors like Murphy are embracing the opportunity to work in Irish for the first time. 'It's amazing. I feel like there was maybe a dark patch in the Irish language that it was definitely considered untrendy, or some people would consider it dead. In recent years, to see that that just isn't the case is really exciting. I've got younger cousins in school and their automatic reaction isn't that they hate learning Irish. They're excited by it, and it's because of these great films and bands speaking the language, driving it forward. 'I was not good at Irish in school,' says Murphy, adding that working in the language presented challenges. 'I did pass Irish for my Leaving Cert and I was very nervous to take on the job. I knew I had a few months to prepare, so I just knuckled down and did the best I could. [Actor and teacher] Peadar Cox was on to me every week, doing classes and going over lines. I just quickly found for me, and I imagine a lot of kids in school would maybe resonate with this: because my passion is acting, when I knew that I could learn the language through my passion, it just came to me a lot easier. 'Right now, my Irish is the best it's ever been, and I'm continuing to keep it going. I think half the battle is confidence. You go in nervous, you have little brain-farts, and you buckle and you can't say anything. And so it's when you get a bit of confidence speaking it is when it becomes quite enjoyable.' Crá is filmed in Gweedore. Shot on location in Gweedore in Co Donegal, Crá tells the story of Garda Conall Ó Súilleabháin (Dónall Ó Héalaí, who previously starred in the award-winning famine-set drama, Arracht). He's thrust into a deeply personal case when the body of his mother, Sabine, is discovered 15 years after she vanished. Forbidden from taking part in the official investigation, Conall joins forces with Ciara-Kate (newcomer Hannah Brady), a journalist using her true crime podcast to get to the heart of the case - and the village dark secrets that harbour it. As the first series goes global, the producers and broadcasters are now hoping to begin filming a second season in early 2026. Ó Héalaí, who recently completed filming the US indie thriller After, is a native Irish speaker who embraced the chance to work as Gaeilge, having previously done so on the powerful drama Arracht. That Crá is now available to audiences in 68 countries and streaming platforms is a bonus, he says. 'For us, an Irish language series in Gweedore, we're delighted to have that reach. I can't believe it's found an audience that wide. 'It's hard not to think that things like An Cailín Ciúin and Kneecap have had a role to play in how Irish language films and series are received internationally. Both those films really got out there, and rightly so, and I think it's very inspiring to see that. In terms of Crá, or Boglands as it's known overseas, it's hard not to think that this has a little part to play in it.' As an Irish speaker, he feels particularly glad at the impact Irish screen storytelling is having both with audiences at home and internationally. 'I'm definitely proud of where the Irish-language, film and television industry currently is in terms of how it's broken through. I feel fortunate to have come up at a time with schemes like Cine4.' The Cine4 initiative, a TG4, Fís Éireann (Screen Ireland) and Coimisiún na Meán partnership to develop original feature films in the Irish language, has proved a smart driving force. The widely loved An Cailín Ciúin, adapted from Claire Keegan's story Foster, made it all the way to the Oscars, with Colm Bairéad's drama getting a nomination in the Best International Feature category. It was also a big commercial success with cinemagoers in Ireland and internationally. Dónall Ó Héalaí in Crá. Films supported by Cine4 include Famine-set drama Arracht and the charming Róise & Frank,about a grieving woman who believes a dog who arrives at her home is connected to the recent death of her husband. Other films backed by the project include recent horror release Fréwaka and the forthcoming dramas An Fidil Ghorm and Báite. 'There were decisions made that allowed for this wave of new filmmaking to emerge,' says Ó Héalai. 'I think the success of a film or a series, it's largely from the top down. We had a terrific team and obviously, the story itself, the writers had created a real local thriller in a small town, a great whodunnit. 'Gweedore itself is such an incredible place, and so many people have commented on the landscape of the show - it's a central character to the show. Whether it's in Irish or in French or in English or in Japanese, if a story is good enough, it'll get people to want to watch it. Ultimately the story itself is compelling enough to bring audiences in.' Crá is available to view on the TG4 Player
