Underground Films’ latest production, One Million Dubliners, winner of the coveted ‘Best Irish Feature Documentary’ at the Galway Film Fleadh, will open in selected cinemas across Ireland on October 31st. The film had its World Premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh in July, where it received a standing ovation.
One Million Dubliners is a documentary like no other, touching on stories celebrating life, mourning death, examining belief, and exploring love and loss. The film introduces the audience to a range of extraordinary characters, both living and dead, and with a firm focus on life, it delves into the business of death.
The film is the feature directorial debut of Aoife Kelleher, who commented “The response to the film in Galway surpassed all of our hopes. We are delighted to announce the release date of the film, scheduled to coincide with All Souls Day. We’re very grateful to the staff of Glasnevin, without whom the film could not have been made, and for the family and friends of Shane MacThomáis. Making this film, with its remarkable subject and such a brilliant team, has been a privilege and it’s wonderful that audiences will have an opportunity to see the film in cinemas.”
Rachel Lysaght, producer, noted the commitment of the director and the filmmaking team, saying “Our world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh was an incredibly moving experience and we’re thrilled that we’re bringing the film to cinema audiences around the country in October. Our goal was always to make this film for communal viewing, for a cinematic experience. The response to the film has been overwhelming, and is testament to the powerful onscreen presence of Shane MacThomáis and the rest of the characters who populate Glasnevin Cemetery.”
Glasnevin Cemetery is Ireland’s national necropolis, home to over one million people who by their final resting place, are honorary Dubliners. The cemetery has a remarkable history which makes it one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions, along with being a place that evokes profound emotions for its regular visitors. One Million Dubliners reveals the often unspoken stories of ritual, love, loss, redemption, emotion and history.
Above all, it’s the story of an immensely engaging Tour Guide shepherding his charges – and us – through the headstones and monuments, through opinions and beliefs. It’s a documentary film that offers a glimpse into the unknown, a world that we will all come to share, one of the two certain things in life. As we get to know the characters who populate the national necropolis, those people who choose to spend their life among the dead, we will also gain an insight into how we live and die in 21st century Ireland.
One Million Dubliners is an Underground Films production in association with RTÉ, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Shoot for the Moon and with the participation of Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board.