Irish Film: Production begins on the Eoin Colfer scripted Poison Pen

Principal photography has begun on a new Irish feature film Poison Pen, the first screenplay by international bestselling author and Wexford native, Eoin Colfer.

The film follows washed-up author PC Molloy who is forced to write for April Devereaux’s gossip magazine Poison Pen. He becomes caught up in a world of stars and their secrets and is soon in danger of becoming a celebrity himself. As the spotlight turns he struggles to keep his own secrets off the front page.

The film is a romantic comedy and stars Lochlann O Mearain (The O’Briens / King Arthur) alongside Aoibhinn McGinnity (Love/Hate) in the leading roles. Paul Ronan (One Hundred Mornings), Aaron Heffernan (Obama Mia! / Love/Rosie) , Susan Loughnane (The Food Guide To Love, Love/Hate), Lauryn Canny (A Thousand Times Goodnight / Amber) and Mary Murray (Stalker) are supporting.

Eoin Colfer attained worldwide recognition in 2001, when the first book in his Artemis Fowl series was published. To date more than half of his books have reached the New York Times Bestsellers list at least once. Poison Pen is the first work by Eoin Colfer to go before the cameras. Disney recently announced that the Artemis Fowl novel’s are their next big franchise so this is sure to be interesting.

Poison Pen will be filmed on location in Ireland over the next three weeks by the participants on the Filmbase/Staffordshire University MSc in Digital Feature Film Production. Alan Fitzpatrick and Conor Murphy of Filmbase are executive producing. Funding for the project was raised as part of the Filmbase Filmrace campaign on Indiegogo.

Poison Pen is an eco friendly film production. John Gormley, the former Green Party Minister, has been appointed as a Green Production Manager for the production, with a view to minimising the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the film.

The film aims for post production to be completed in time for the 2014 Galway Film Fleadh.