Away from the big Irish Film Board backed features, the independent film scene in Ireland is also thriving. A pioneer in this charge of Irish independent cinema is writer-director Mark O’Connor, whose three features to date: Between the Canals; King of the Travellers; and Stalker, highlighted a raw talent with an assured confidence and self-belief. This makes his fourth feature, Cardboard Gangsters all the more welcome and all the more awaited.
Cardboard Gangsters which O’Connor co-wrote with Love/Hate star John Connors, sees his frequent collaborator Connors take the lead as Jaythe head of a gang of drug dealers attempting to take control of an are of Darndale controlled by Jimmy Smallhorne’s Derra.
The pair are joined by Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank), Fionn Walton (What Richard Did), Damien Dempsey (Between the Canals), Denise McCormack (Love/Hate) Paul Roe (Adam and Paul), Stephen Clinch (Between the Canals), and Corey McKinley (’71), with support from Aaron Blake O’Connell (Bully), Gemma-Leah Devereux (How to Be Happy), Toni O’Rourke (Noble), Fiona Hewitt Twamley, Paul Alright, Ryan Lincoln, and Ciaran McCabe (Bully). UFC fighters Cathal Pendred and Nathan Kelly also make cameo appearances.
Cardboard Gangsters is produced by Richard Bolger for Five Knight Films, in association with O’Connor’ Stalker Films. The film is funded by the BAI, Filmbase, and TV3, with TV3 acquiring the broadcast rights to the film. Post-production is being handled by EGG.
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Cardboard Gangsters
Actors: Kierston Wareing, Fionn Walton, Damien Dempsey, Denise McCormack, Paul Roe, Stephen Clinch, Corey McKinley
A group of young cardboard gangsters attempt to gain control of the drug trade in Darndale, chasing the glorified lifestyle of money, power and sex.[/infobox]