Element Pictures Distribution will release Irish director Juanita Wilson (As If I Am Not There)’s new feature Tomato Red in Irish cinemas on March 3rd.
Tomato Red is based on the acclaimed novel by Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone) and follows the story of small-town drifter Sammy Barlach on his search for his next cold beer and the bunch that’ll have him. When he meets the red-haired Jamalee and her beautiful brother Jason, his life is opened up in ways he could never have imagined. Happy to have a home at last, Sammy finds his life opening up in ways he could never have imagined. But this new life is torn apart by a sudden violent incident, leaving them crying out for justice and revenge. But what if your cries fall on deaf ears? How do you make yourself heard if you don’t have a voice? Finding themselves powerless against the forces of corruption and prejudice, the only thing Sammy has left to fight is the demons inside his own head.
The film stars Julia Garner as Jamalee, with Nick Rowe as her brother Jason, and Jake Weary as Sammy. British actress Anna Friel plays Jamalee and Jason’s mother, with Sean Tyson, Kurt Max Runte, Kathryn Kirkpatrick, Trevor Lerner, and Scott A. McGillivray supporting.
Principal photography took place in British Columbia in Canada in summer 2015. Post-production took place at Screen Scene in Dublin, with Room editor Nathan Nugent. Cinematography is by the always excellent Piers McGrail, with a soundtrack from Kevin Murphy, Thomas Haugh, and Stephen Shannon. The film is produced by Elizabeth Gill and James Flynn of Metropolitan Films/Octagon Films, and Daniel Bekerman for Scythia Films. Financing comes via the Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉirean, Take 5 Productions, and Screen Scene.
Tomato Red promises to be an original, funny and moving film about the struggle to get a break and our need to belong.