The Irish film industry is set to take over New York next month with a strong presence of Irish films selected for the Tribeca Film Festival founded by Robert de Niro.
The Irish-language short Rúbaí, directed by Louise Ní Fhiannachta and funded under Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board’s Gearrscannáin short-film scheme, will have its international premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. This charming short film will join Irish feature films The Canal directed by Ivan Kavanagh and John Butler’s film The Stag at this prestigious New York festival in April.
Written by Antoin Beag Ó Colla, Rúbaí tells the story of a young girl who, in the run-up to her First Holy Communion, declares she’s an atheist and bamboozles her teacher, her mother and the parish priest. Produced by Gemma O’Shaughnessy for Magamedia Teo, Rúbaí had its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh last year, and walked away with the prize for Best First Short Drama. It is also up for an IFTA this year, for Best Short Film.
Park Films’ horror feature The Canal—written and directed by Ivan Kavanagh and starring Rupert Evans (Hellboy) and Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Albert Nobbs, Kelly + Victor)—will have its world premiere on the opening weekend of Tribeca in the Midnight section of the festival.
Shot in Dublin in the summer of 2013, The Canal tells the story of David Williams (Evans) and his wife, Alice (played by Hemel’s Hannah Hoekstra), who move into a beautiful period house by the canal with their small child, Billy. As David begins to suspect that his wife is cheating on him, he also starts to have nightmarish visions of an evil presence he believes inhabits his home.
The Stag will premiere is the US under its title Batchelor Weekend and will be released across the US on VOD. The film currently playing in Irish cinemas is a big-hearted comedy about modern male friendship, set in rural Ireland.