Lorna Allen Takes a Tour of the Rapidly Growing Irish Film Industry
Irish National Cinema is evolving nicely through its adolescence and is maturing nicely into a force to be reckoned with. Virtually non-existent before the 1970s the Irish film industry is currently enjoying one of its strongest periods to date. The latest stats from the Irish Film Board (Bord Scannán na hÉireann) show that cinemagoers are stepping out in record numbers with admissions/ticket sales doubling since 1997. Government support for indigenous filmmaking has also been significantly increased with the Board receiving a grant of 17 Million Euros for 2006 (compared to 14.4 million Euros in 2005). It looks like 2006 is set to be a big year for the Emerald Isle!
The Irish Film industry has spawned a long list of now internationally renowned actors (Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Colm Meaney, Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Stuart Townsend, and Stephen Rea to name just a few of our greatest exports) and several influential directors (Jim Sheridan, Neil Jordan, Terry George, and Paddy Breathnach) who have refused to abandon their Irish roots and who still regularly embrace them by contributing and participating in indigenous (and often low budget) features, documentaries and shorts.
A string of Irish films have met with critical acclaim and even snagged some of those coveted Academy Awards as well as a host of nominations. Brenda Fricker and Daniel Day Lewis won Oscars for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor, respectively; in 1989 Jim Sheridan’s masterpiece about cerebral palsy inflected artist Christy Brown My left Foot, Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game won Best Original Screenplay in 1992 and Michael Collins won the Golden Lion for the Best Film at The Venice Film Festival in 1996. Galway born Peter O'Toole has been nominated for an Oscar a whopping seven times but has repeatedly and regrettably lost out - however he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
In recent months alone several Irish films have enjoyed notable international success at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. In 2003 Veronica Guerin took the number one spot at the Irish box office and won the IFTA Audience Award for Best Film as well as nominations at the Empire Awards, Golden Globes, and MTV Movie Awards and scooped the Solidarity Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. In 2004 Pearse Elliott’s directorial debut Man About Dog , a road trip comedy about the world of greyhound racing, ranked 8th at the Irish box office ahead of some of Hollywood’s top films. Last year The Mighty Celt screened at Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for IFTA Awards for best film and best script. Pavee Lackeen won IFTA award Perry Ogden for best breakthrough talent and the film won the Sutherland trophy at last years London Film Festival. Billy O’Brien’s horror film Isolation was screened at last years Toronto film festival and the soon to be released The Secret Life of Words (starring Tim Robbins and Sarah Polley and directed by Isabel Croixet) won four prizes at the recent Spanish Goya Awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Awards. Most recently Cillian Murphy’s performance as transvestite Kitten in Neil Jordan’s much hyped Breakfast on Pluto, earned the Irish heartthrob who has quickly become one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood, a nomination for the Best Actor Golden Globe and a Satellite Award. The talent just keeps on coming too with Ken Wardrop’s innovative and touching short Undressing My Mother getting a special screening at the 2005 Cannes Film festival, having won the Jameson Short Film Award at the Cork International Film Festival, and as recently as last month scooping the award for Short Filmmaking Award with Honourable Mention at the Sundance Film Festival.
Not bad going for a nation whose creative voice was stifled until the social change of the 60’s and 70’s kicked in. Prior to this period the predominant images of Ireland were filtered through the rose tinted spectacles of Hollywood cinema, indulging in stereotypical portrayals of idyllic rural life featuring feisty red haired colleens and quirky village idiots who over indulged on Guinness and enjoyed the odd drunken fisticuffs. The Quiet Man (Ford, 1952) being the most shining example of this. On the other hand a number of British financed films portrayed the flip side which was the stereotype of the fighting Irishman with particular reference to the turbulent political climate which persisted both north and south of the border. These films were not representative of a true national cinema, although filmed in Ireland and employing local crews, the funding and creative input came from major studios and were geared towards appealing to the vast Irish Diaspora which had come to reside in huge numbers across the pond. The films were not reflective of true indigenous concerns and attitudes but perpetuated idealised images of ‘irishness’.
Another reason for the lack of indigenous cinema prior to the 1970s, aside from lack of funding, was the enforced censorship which prevailed until then throughout the Republic of Ireland. Film censorship in Ireland has a long history dating back to the nineteenth century and the first two Irish Film censors were appointed as far back as 1916. Bodies such as The Catholic Truth Society and the Irish Vigilance Association strove to censor and ban films and publications on moral grounds and the decisions as to what was ‘offensive’ or ‘immoral’ lay mainly at the feet of the Catholic Church. What distinguished Irish Cinema Culture from other countries was that only general certificates were issued with no distinction between adult and underage audiences. Therefore all films passed must be suitable for audiences all ages – this practice existed from 1921 until the 1960s which had a profound influence on what appeared in cinemas throughout Ireland. The creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 paved the way for the censorship of Films Act, introduced the following year, which reflected the insecurity and intense nationalism and conservatism of the newly formed nation. Ireland, as a result of these political developments, remained artistically and culturally removed and isolated and these censorship laws only served to compound this situation. As a newly formed state Ireland struggled during this period to form it’s own identity and this was defined in complete contrast to the Britain from under whose control and government the country had just been released resulting in a suspicion and fear of foreign and modern influences. The topics which the censorship bodies found most disturbing and threatening, influenced strongly by the Catholic Church, were sexuality, the break-up of the family, extramarital pregnancies, abortion, homosexuality as well as criticism or questioning of Catholic teaching. This, as you can imagine, cut out a great number of films from circulation.
The 60s heralded a new phase of modernisation and liberalisation in Ireland encouraged by the relaxation of censorship. Increased funding for the arts was initiated with the Arts Act of 1973 which elevated the moving image to the same status as other arts and therefore worthy of the Irish Arts Councils support. Previously unacknowledged as an art form the Arts Council began to recognise film as an area worthy of support. The subsequent introduction of the Arts Council’s Film Script Award provided (limited) funding for indigenous film-making and this form of artistic expression was further encouraged by the creation of several film festivals in Ireland (Cork, Foyle, Dublin). The Irish Film Board was set up in 1980 with the aim of funding more indigenous productions for international distribution.
Enjoying the fruits of the Arts Council support and the somewhat relaxed attitude of the censors the 70s heralded what came to be known as ‘The First Wave of Irish National Cinema’ (Macloone, 2000) and this period lasted until the late 80s. The films of this period portrayed a more secular and historically reflective society which frequently dwelt on the complexity of what it meant to be Irish in a modern/changing world. Themes and subject matter previously banned by the censors, such as alternative forms of sexuality and criticisms of the Catholic education system and the increasingly common revelations of abuse suffered therein were explored, although somewhat tentatively. The sacred family unit was also examined in a more truthful and realistic manner, often including families missing a parent. The cinema of this period was characterised as being oppositional, pessimistic, aesthetically experimental and sometimes subversive dealing with the contradictions of a changing society and considering elements of Irish Cultural Nationalism, which was defined in opposition to all things British. During this period several key filmmakers (Joe Comerford and Cahal Black) rose to the forefront and took advantage of the new (yet still frugal) funding on offer. One film which sums up the cinema of this period is Cahal Back’s Our Boys (1981) – a critical and disturbing exploration of the Christian Brothers Education System of the 1950s which mixes documentary style interviews and newsreel clips with drama in a complex dual storyline technique. The film dealt with common themes of this period in Irish cinema such as the conflicting forces of modernity and anti-modernity, progress and tradition and liberalisation and conservatism. Similar themes were examined in the award winning Lamb (Gregg, 1986), an early vehicle for Liam Neeson’s burgeoning big screen career.
The 90s were a period of increased economic prosperity in Ireland as a result of the inward investment which took place following Ireland’s entry into the European Union. It was during this period that Irish film industry began to reap its rewards with films such as My left Foot, The Snapper, The Commitments, The Butcher Boy, Last of The High Kings, I Went Down. This period of Irish Cinema was defined by the starkly different cultural and cinematic climate in Ireland. Having manoeuvred through the bleak 70s and 80s and having become accustomed to the new found freedom of expression younger emerging filmmakers recognised the need to make more mainstream films in an attempt to compete in international markets. As a result of this epiphany the films of this period were brighter, more optimistic, and mainstream and included much more accessible post-modern narratives. Although aimed at an international and more commercial audience these films still reflected local concerns and issues but unlike their predecessors they approached the political through the personal and emotional experiences of the protagonists. Some critics accused these films of being unadventurous and too conventional and not making a significant cultural intervention but these films did succeed in reflecting particular societal pressures in Ireland. David Keating’s coming of age film The Last of The High Kings (1996) subtly dealt with issues of generational conflict, family as a metaphor, symbolic matricide, and the increasing impact of American popular culture.
So what’s on the cards next for the Emerald Isle? Following hot on the heels of recent successes a number of high profile, star studded films are on the cards alongside a selection of smaller budget possible national sleeper hits-to-be. Several horrors are slated for release in 2006 with Wilderness, a slasher filmed on the North Antrim coast starring Sean Pertwee and Paddy Breathnach’s (I Went Down, Man About Dog) Schrooms, a yarn about a group of five American students who go camping and, as hinted at in the title, consume some natural hallucinogenics with horrifying results. The film has been picked up by Capitol Films for international distribution. Also predicted to make a big impression on local, if not international audiences, this year is the comedy Studs, starring Irish acting heavyweight Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Troy, 28 Days Later) as the coach of an amateur football team.
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