Irish Abroad: Patrick's Day chosen for International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg

After picking up a ‘trifecta’ of awards at the Woodstock Film Festival in the United States, Terry McMahon’s hard-hitting mental health drama Patrick’s Day returns to European soil with a German premiere at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, which runs November 6th to 16th.

Patrick’s Day has been chosen as one of 13 films to screen in the International Competition section of the festival, alongside some strong other films. This competition section of the festival features three films chosen as official submissions for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, Azerbaijan’s Nabat, Afghanistan’s A Few Cubic Metres of Love, and Lebanon’s Ghadi, will compete against Ireland’s own entry Tom Collin’s An Bronntanas, as well as 82 others.

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. In 2011 Darragh Byrne’s Parked won the Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg at the festival, so Irish film is well regarded there.

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.