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The runaway smash hit Irish comedy The Young Offenders passed the €1million mark at the Irish Box Office on October 20th. To mark the occasion, the filmmakers have released a special celebratory clip: In a year that has been praised for quality Irish film, The Young Offenders has become the fastest Irish film to break the €1million mark at the Irish Box Office this year, and next week it will be the highest grossing Irish-made film of the year at the domestic box office, overtaking Sing Street. It now joins the ranks of other classics such as The Guard, Calvary, and Man About Dog as one of the few Irish comedy films to reach this Irish Box Office milestone. It has also taken more at the Irish Box Office than some of this year’s biggest international comedies such as Absolutely Fabulous and Bad Neighbours 2, as well as the Hollywood blockbusters Independence Day.

I loved this film, full of deep feeling and offers a new view of 'family'. Paddy Breathnach's "Viva" tells the Havana story of a young teen boy, Jesus, who is trying to find himself, his identity.

His world is that of a gay drag club where the queens dress fantastically to sing on stage the eternally famous songs of passion love and betrayal. Jesus scrapes by on the streets, barely, and sometimes sells his body.

But at the club when he sings there is a special time always and it appears he could have a career there.Suddenly his long gone father returns. A brutal man who deserted Jesus who barely remembers him.

The father is gravely ill, has no money and proceeds to forbid Jesus from performing his stage act. This is truly a family from hell and we wonder how the beautiful sensitive young teen Jesus can ever survive.

A really good film, wonderful acting, great idea.

"Viva" was Ireland's Official Oscar entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category and it made the 9-film shortlist out of 80 submissions for the 88th Academy Awards.

From the Sundance catalog:

Veteran director Paddy Breathnach's Viva first transported audiences to the vibrant world of Havana's drag scene at the Telluride Film Festival. We are thrilled to welcome Breathnach back to the Sundance Film Festival.

Jesus has spent most of his young adult life styling wigs at a drag club in Havana, longing for a purpose other than the pennies he scrapes together in the shadows of his surroundings. When Jesus is offered the chance to perform amongst the other queens, the cruel winds of fate bring his estranged, abusive father back into his life after 15 years. What unfolds is a bittersweet story of pain, regret, and reconciliation. As the two men’s lives violently collide, they are forced to grapple with their conflicting views.

Laced with the raw passion and drama of drag, director Paddy Breathnach and writer Mark O’Halloran bring Viva to life with exquisite tenderness. Actors Jorge Perugoría and Héctor Medina fill this wrenching love story with a raw humanity that runs beyond the confines of the screen. With a resounding case for compassion, Viva illuminates the oft-devastating path of family, neglect, and resolution.

Paddy Breathnach’s first feature, Ailsa, won Best First/Second Film at the San Sebastian Film Festival. His second feature, I Went Down (1998 Sundance Film Festival), won Best New Director prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Best Director award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and Best Film at the Bogota International Film Festival. His comedy, Man About Dog, became one of the most successful independent Irish films. Breathnach directs both documentaries and dramas.

Adding to its Scandinavian awards slate of Oscar entries from Norway (disaster movie "The Wave"), Sweden ("A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence") and Denmark's "A War," Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to "Viva," a crowd-pleaser directed by Irish filmmaker Paddy Breathnach ("Man About Dog").  Set in colorful contemporary Havana, "Viva" follows a young hairdresser (Héctor Medina) who reluctantly takes back his alcoholic, ailing father (Jorge Perugorría) to live with him in the apartment he abandoned long ago. Not only does his father disapprove of his gay son, but he forbids him to perform in drag at a Havana nightclub run by his son's mentor, Mama (Luis Alberto García), unknowingly forcing him to hustle instead. This heart-tugger should play well for art-house audiences and Academy foreign voters.  Produced by Treasure...

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American rights to “Viva,” a film directed by Irish filmmaker Paddy Breathnach, the distribution company announced Monday. “Viva” is a coming-of-age tale set in contemporary Cuba, and tells the story of a gay young man’s reconciliation with this estranged, disapproving father. Directed by Breathnach, who has helmed films like “Man About Dog” and “Blow Dry,” the film is executive-produced by Benicio del Toro and written by Mark O’Halloran. Also Read: Magnolia Pictures Promotes International Sales Execs Scott Veltri, Robert Maylor The film, which received a positive response when it premiered at the 2015 Telluride Film Festival in September,...

Exclusive: The team representing Paddy Breathnach’s Havana-set drama has come together and will present the film to market buyers in Toronto next month.

Mongrel Media International will handle international sales while Xyz Films and Submarine will represent Us and Canadian rights. Arp Selection will distribute Viva in France.

The Ireland-backed production shot entirely in Cuba and stars newcomer Héctor Medina as a hair and make-up artist for drag acts who harbours a secret desire to perform.

The youngster eventually learns from a grande dame how to become a performer himself, only to face a choice between pursuing his dream and reconnecting with his father, newly released from prison.

Luis Alberto García Jorge Perugorría also star in the film.

Breathnach, whose credits include I Went Down and Man About Dog, directed from a screenplay by Mark O’Halloran.

Rebecca O’Flanagan and Robert Walpole of Treasure Entertainment produced and the Irish Film Board co-financed with Windmill Lane Pictures and Treasure Entertainment...

Exclusive: The team representing Paddy Breathnach’s Havana-set drama has come together and will present the film to market buyers in Toronto next month.

Mongrel Media International will handle international sales while Xyz Films and Submarine will represent Us and Canadian rights. Arp Selection will distribute Viva in France.

The Ireland-backed production shot entirely in Cuba and stars newcomer Héctor Medina as a hair and make-up artist for drag acts who harbours a secret desire to perform.

The youngster eventually learns from a grande dame how to become a performer himself, only to face a choice between pursuing his dream and reconnecting with his father, newly released from prison.

Luis Alberto García Jorge Perugorría also star in the film.

Breathnach, whose credits include I Went Down and Man About Dog, directed from a screenplay by Mark O’Halloran.

Rebecca O’Flanagan and Robert Walpole of Treasure Entertainment produced and the Irish Film Board co-financed with Windmill Lane Pictures and Treasure Entertainment...

Allen Leech (born May 18, 1981) is an Irish stage, television, and film actor. Also known by his birth name of Alan Leech, his career started in his university days and led him to roles in Cowboys & Angels and Man About Dog early on. He became more well known on an international scale after […]

The post Allen Leech Bio: In His Own Words appeared first on uInterview.

Invited to come along to the set of 'The King of the Travellers' [previously entitled 'Grooskill'], Iftn last week journeyed to Inchicore, Dublin to catch a preview the film's final scenes before it wrapped in Galway at the weekend and caught up with the features cast and crew, among them director Mark O'Connor (Between The Canals), lead actor John Connors in his debut feature role, Peter Coonan (Between The Canals, Love/Hate), Michael Collins (Pavee Lackeen, Man About Dog) and producer Cormac Fox of Vico Films.

John Michael McDonagh's 'The Guard' has overtaken Ken Loach's 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley' in the Irish box office to become the most successful independent Irish film of all time. Since its release on July 8th, the film has also surpassed other Irish titles, including his brother Martin McDonagh's first feature outing 'In Bruges', Joel Schumacher's 'Veronica Guerin' and Paddy Breathnach's 'Man About Dog', to gross over €4.13 million in Ireland.

“The Guard” has officially “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” in the Irish box-office to become the most successful independent Irish film of all time. Overtaking other successful Irish titles including “In Bruges”, “Veronica Guerin” and “Man About Dog”, “The Guard” has now grossed over €4.13 million in Ireland. Writer-director John Michael McDonagh said “It's been extremely satisfying for me that such a hard-drinking, whoring, drug-taking, anti-authoritarian character as Sergeant Gerry Boyle has struck so resounding a chord with Irish and International audiences.” James Hickey, the Chief Executive, Irish Film Board said “This is great news for the Irish film industry. We’re delighted to see an Irish film compete successfully with major Hollywood blockbusters here in Ireland and also achieving a strong audience response worldwide. It’s a testament to the local and the international appeal of Irish film and the quality of filmmaking in Ireland.” This figure is also...

Feature film 'Cup Cake' has been awarded the Audience Award at this year's Belfast Film Festival. The Northern Ireland Screen funded project is directed by Colin McIvor and stars Adam Best (Holby City). 'Cup Cake' was selected by Northern Ireland Screen as part of their Ultra Low Budget Fiction Fund. The feature, which filmed Ballymoney, County Antrimm is written by Christine Murphy (Doctors), produced by Katy Jackson (Charlotte's Red) and directed by Colin McIvor (Driven) with Cian de Buitlear (Man About Dog) as the project's director of photography using a HD cam on the four-week long shoot.

Sunday, December 4th sees the re-release of the Ifta winning feature 'Adam and Paul' from Element Pictures Distribution. Lenny Abrahamson's debut feature film, 'Adam & Paul' is a tragi-comedy starring Mark O'Halloran (Swansong: The Story of Occi Byrne) and the late Tom Murphy (Man About Dog) as Adam and Paul respectively, a pair of Dublin junkies on the trail towards their next fix. The film centres around one typical day for the pair and sees them at rock bottom – down on their luck and minus credit and friends.

Production is underway on the new Irish feature film 'My Brothers', directed by Paul Fraser (Scummy Man) and written by William Collins (Escape of the Wild Thing). Set over the Halloween weekend of 1987, the film explores three young brothers' quest to replace their dying father's beloved watch in an off-beat and moving journey that ultimately leads them home. Starring newcomers Timmy Creed, Paul Courtney and Tj Griffin as well as a supporting cast including Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead), Don Wycherley (Rásaí na Gaillimhe), Sarah Green (Shelter) and Eamonn Hunt (W.C.), 'My Brothers' is produced by Rebecca O'Flanagan (The Eclipse, The Running Mate) and Rob Walpole (Man About Dog) through Rubicon Films.

Filming of a new feature film 'Cup Cake' (previously called Wee Buns) has begun in Ballymoney, County Antrim. 'Cup Cake' is written by Christine Murphy (Doctors), produced by Katy Jackson (Charlotte's Red) and directed by Colin McIvor (Driven). 'Cup Cake' is written by Christine Murphy (Doctors), produced by Katy Jackson (Charlotte's Red) and directed by Colin McIvor (Driven) with Cian de Buitlear (Man About Dog) as the project's director of photographyusing a HD cam on the four-week long shoot.

As part of the Dingle Film Festival's comedy programme, the festival has teamed with the Irish Film Board to provide a series of events and screenings dedicated to the funnier side of filmmaking. Industry events billed for the festival include a special event entitled 'Don't Make Me Laugh' which will specifically explore the art of writing comedy for the screen and a special presentation of Ifb award winning comedy short films. 'Don't Make Me Laugh' will be chaired by Ifb Development Executive Andrew Meehan and panelists will include Emmy Award winning screenwriter Marc Flanagan (The Tracy Ullman Show) stage, radio, screen and TV writer Pearse Elliot (Man About Dog); and producer Ned Dowd (Shanghai Noon). The seminar will explore the challenges of writing comedy for the screen, various approaches to character development, the role of TV in promoting talent as well as examining what makes comedy travel. The panel will...

LONDON -- Organizers of this year's inaugural export initiative, London U.K. Film Focus, are set to announce Monday the final lineup of 24 titles for the event. The program will feature eight "industry premieres," organizers said, including Istvan Szabo's Being Julia; Churchill: The Hollywood Years, directed by Peter Richardson; Danny Boyle's Millions; and Shane Meadows' Dead Man's Shoes. Charles Dance's directorial debut, Ladies in Lavender; Paddy Breathnach's Man About Dog; Andrew Goth's Cold & Dark; and Guy de Beaujeau's (Past Present Future) Imperfect round out the octet of titles being screened in full to buyers for the first time.