Deadline is reporting that multiple Academy Award-nominated Dublin production company Element Pictures is about to enter production on a new feature film. Titled Herself, the film is written by Irish actor Clare Dunne and What Richard Did writer Malcolm Campbell, and will be produced with Irish star Sharon Horgan’s production company Merman.
Set in Dublin, Herself is the story of young mother Sandra who escape her abusive boyfriend and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.
The film, which was previously titled Owned, will be directed by The Iron Lady and Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd. In addition to writing the script, Dunne will star in the lead role. Further casting announcements are due with the film set to go into production at the end of April.
Herself is backed by BBC Films and Screen Ireland, with the latter having provided development funding and two provisional offers of commitment to the production.
The script is very fresh and full of heart and integrity. Clare wrote it for herself to star in and she’s an excellent actress. The combination of producers and creatives was an exciting one for us and it’s great to be involved in a project with strong new talent. The film’s subject will really resonate in the UK, Ireland and the U.S.
Ed Guiney, Producer (Talking to Deadline)