Irish Abroad: Terry McMahon's Patrick's Day honoured in Germany

Fresh from its win at the 59th Cork Festival, where it picked up the Audience Award, Terry McMahon’s hard hitting drama Patrick’s Day has been bestowed another prestigious title at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg. The Irish financed mental health story was chosen for The Cinema Owners Jury Recommendation, which is given to 3 filsm each yaers which the German cinema programmers believe an audience must see.

The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg is Germany’s second oldest film festival (after Berlin) and presents films of independent newcomer directors and directors who are internationally widely unknown, focusing on arthouse and auteur films. The festival receives over 1,000 submissions each year.

Patrick’s Day is the story of a young man with mental health issues who falls for a suicidal flight attendant.

The film will be released by Wildcard Distribution into Irish cinemas in early 2015. Before that Patrick’s Day will have a gala screening at the Cork Film Festival this November.

Patrick’s Day is an Ignition Film Productions production with Underground Films and Forefront Features in association with Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board and RTÉ.

Patrick is a warm, open, twenty-six year old virgin schizophrenic. Pills and his mother’s protection mean he is no threat to himself or anyone else. Until he falls in love.

The object of his desire, Karen, a suicidal flight attendant, has no idea the intimacy she shares with Patrick might reintroduce her to living. Patrick’s obsessive mother Maura doesn’t realize her own misguided love may be more dangerous than hate. To pull Karen and Patrick apart, she enlists the help of dysfunctional detective Freeman, who will use his position to help her, for a price.

A provocative and heart-breaking love story about the right to intimacy for everyone, Patrick’s Day proves, when it comes to love, we’re all a little crazy.