Yesterday organisers announced the first raft of films that will show at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, with 3 Irish productions or co-productions playing in competition. Now today organisers have announced another glut of films that will show out-of-competition, and there’s some Irish in their too.
The Irish Film Board financed Irish/UK co-production The Hallow, from director Corin Hardy, will play as one of nine films as part of the Park City at Midnight section. The story sees a London-based conservationist take a job surveying an Irish forest. After relocating his family he finds that the locals are unhappy at his presence and stranded in the middle of nowhere, he must fight to protect his wife and child as they face the true nature of a malevolent and unspeakable evil. The Hallow stars Bojana Novakovic, Joseph Mawle, Michael McElhatton, and Michael Smiley.
The Northern Irish set ‘71, which went down a storm with audiences North and South of the border last month will play as part of the Spotlight section. The film starring Jack O’Connell, Killian Scott and Charlie Murphy, tells the story of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a terrifying riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971.
Northern Irish documentary filmmaker Mark Cousins will see his new film 6 Desires: DH Lawrence and Sardinia play as part of the same Spotlight section. The film sees Cousins follow in the footsteps of DH Lawrence on a dazzling road-trip through Sardinia. This appearance at Sundance will mark the international premiere of the film, which was well received at the London Film Festival earlier this year.
Starting a week later than usual next year (to avoid the Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend), the 2015 festival will run from January 22nd to February 1st, in Park City, Utah.