A Dark Song - Catherine Walker and Steve Oram
A Dark Song

#IrishAbroad: A Dark Song to compete at the 2017 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival

Liam Gavin’s Irish co-produced horror A Dark Song will play in competition at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF), a Swiss film festival which is one of the foremost film festivals in the world for genre cinema.

Gavin’s feature debut follows Sophia, a young woman who insists on renting an old house in the remote countryside so that she can hire an occultist. She needs him to perform an ancient invocation ritual, the Abramelin, to summon up Sophia’s Guardian Angel so her wish can be granted. She wishes to talk to her murdered child, a desire that consumes her.

A Dark Song features Patrick’s Day-star Catherine Walker in the lead, with Sightseers‘ Steve Oram as the occultist hired in to help her. Frank star Mark Huberman and Poison Pen‘s Susan Loughnane offer strong support. It was filmed in locations around Dublin and Wicklow in the summer of 2015. Viva cinematographer Cathal Watters shot the film, with Connor Dennison as production designer. Bowsie Workshop assisted on the practical effects. Post-production took place at Windmill Lane Pictures with editor Anna Maria O’Flanagan and Patrick’s Day composer Ray Harman. David Collins and Cormac Fox produce for Samson Films, with Tim Dennison producing for UK production company Tall Man Films. Funding comes via the Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann and Ffilm Cymru Wales.

Created in 2000, the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) has become a major film event in Switzerland in just 16 editions. Indeed, the NIFFF’s quality and original programs, as well as its prestigious guests convinced both the public (45,600 visitors) and the critics. The 2017 festival runs June 30th to July 8th.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

  • A Dark Song – Director: Liam Gavin
  • Le Manoir – Director: Tony T. Datis
  • Before We Vanish – Director: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
  • Mon Ange – Director: Harry Cleven
  • Bitch – Director: Marianna Palka
  • Mon Mon Mon Monsters – Director: Giddens Ko
  • Bushwick – Director: Cary Murnion & Jonathan Milott
  • Reset – Director: Yoon Hong Seung (a.k.a. Chang)
  • Dave Made A Maze – Director: Bill Watterson
  • Super Dark Times – Director: Kevin Phillips
  • El Bar – Director: Álex De La Iglesia
  • The Endless – Director: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
  • Hostile – Director: Mathieu Turi
  • Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Director: Miike Takashi
  • The Little Hours – Director: Jeff Baena
  • Tragedy Girls – Director: Tyler Macintyre

NEW CINEMA FROM ASIA – ASIAN COMPETITION

  • Blade Of The Immortal – Director: Miike Takashi
  • Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts – Director: Mouly Surya
  • Have A Nice Day – Director: Liu Jian
  • Pwera Usog – Director: Jason Paul Laxamana
  • Jailbreak – Director: Jimmy Henderson
  • Trapped – Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
  • Kung Fu Yoga – Director: Stanley Tong
  • Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight – Director: Alan Lo

ULTRA MOVIES – MIDNIGHTS SCREENINGS

  • Better Watch Out – Director: Chris Peckover
  • Lake Bodom – Director: Taneli Mustonen
  • Black Hollow Cage – Director: Sadrac González-Perellón
  • Meatball Machine Kodoku – Director: Nishimura Yoshihiro
  • Dead Shack – Director: Peter Ricq, Canada
  • Prevenge – Director: Alice Lowe
  • Grave (Raw) – Director: Julia Ducournau
  • The Autopsy Of Jane Doe – Director: André Øvredal
  • It Stains The Sands Red – Director: Colin Minihan
  • The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio – Director: Miike Takashi

FILMS OF THE THIRD KIND – CROSSOVER SCREENINGS

  • Ava – Director: Lea Mysius
  • Le Serpent Aux Mille Coupures – Director: Eric Valette
  • Baahubali: The Conclusion – Director: S.S. Rajamouli
  • Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman – Director: Steffen Haars & Flip Van Der Kuil
  • Berlin Syndrome – Director: Cate Shortland
  • Small Town Killers – Director: Ole Bornedal
  • Colossal – Director: Nacho Vigalondo
  • Spoor – Director: Agnieszka Holland
  • Goran – Director: Nevio Marasovic
  • The Limehouse Golem – Director: Juan Carlos Medina
  • I Am Not A Witch – Director: Rungano Nyoni
  • The Merciless – Director: Byun Sung-Hyun