What would happen if almost everyone in Dublin vanished? The eerily empty city is the backdrop for the new sci-fi drama, Rapt, produced by Blinder Films and released today on RTÉ Player, as part of the new season of Storyland.
Rapt is a sci-fi drama set in a Dublin, where, in a single instant, everyone has disappeared. Everyone that is, but paramedic and single mum Ange Smith, played by Sarah Jane Seymour, who finds herself alone in an empty world and desperate to find her way home to her baby daughter. Except the world isn’t as empty as she might have thought with strange and dangerous forces are on the prowl…
The four part series was produced by Yvonne Donohoe of Blinder Films, written by Devin John Doyle and directed by Kieron J. Walsh. Blinder Films are known for their feature films such as Citadel and Sensation as well as their sketch comedy series such as The Savage Eye and Irish Pictorial Weekly for RTÉ. They have just begun principal photography on Love and Friendship directed by Whit Stillman starring Kate Beckinsale. Kieron J. Walsh has directed TV series like The Young Person’s Guide To Becoming A Rockstar for Channel 4, The Savage Eye and RAW for RTÉ, Vexed for the BBC and directed feature films including When Brendan Met Trudy, written by Roddy Doyle, and Jump featuring Ciarán McMenimin, who also stars in Rapt.
Rapt is one of five new original dramas, commissioned by RTÉ and the Irish Film Board for the new season of Storyland, a commissioning platform to identify new and emerging creative talent in Ireland.
Each Monday a new series will be released on the Storyland hub on RTÉ Player, available for national and international audiences. In addition to Rapt, audiences can also currently watch three other Storyland series; Burning Wishes, a black comedy about death, friendship and good ol’ fashioned grave-robbing by Deadpan Pictures; Farr, a crime drama set in Belfast by Stirling Film and TV Productions; and Ctrl, a fast-paced thriller that follows Colin, a brilliant young hacker and his exploits in the world of online hacktivisim. Next week sees the last of the series, (R)onanism, the story of Ronan, a man who’s involved in a romantic relationship with himself, written by Tadhg Hickey and directed by Shaun O’Connor.
Close to 200 aspiring and experienced drama production teams pitched their ideas to make a series for Storyland. Five production companies across Ireland won commissions to create 5 original dramas (4 x 6 minute web episodes) to be shown on RTÉ Player. The five production companies are Black Sheep Productions, Blinder Films, Deadpan Pictures, Fantastic Films, and Stirling Film and Television Productions.