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Movies & TV

07th Sep 2018

In conversation with the director of Black 47, the first proper depiction of the Irish Famine on the big screen

Rory Cashin

Virgin Media movies

The movie is in Irish cinemas right now.

An epic set during the Famine doesn’t sound like a natural fit, but Black 47 is an Irish movie that everyone has been talking about lately.

Featuring a hugely impressive international cast (Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Freddie Fox), as well as some the best young talent Ireland has to offer (Barry Keoghan, Sarah Greene, Moe Dunford), it is clear that this project was important enough to attract a group of people such as this.

Writer and director Lance Daly (Kisses) tells us the story of an Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, as he abandons his post to reunite with his family.

Despite experiencing the horrors of war, he is shocked by the famine’s destruction of his homeland and the brutalisation of his people and his family, and begins to seek out revenge.

In the lead-up to the release of the movie, we sat down with Daly, as well as Stephen Rea, who features in the movie as a guide with an innate knowledge of the countryside.

Over the course of the interview, we discuss everything from their favourite Irish movie of all time, how they feel about the new generation of homegrown talent, and how the current cinematic landscape compares to how it was 20 years ago.

Listen to the full chat right here:

We’ve already gone deep on some of the aspects of the interview, including how Stephen Rea reveals how making the movie reminded him of Michael Collins, as well as revealing something unexpected about big wrap parties.

Black 47 is in Irish cinemas right now, and you can check out the trailer below:

Clip via WildCard Distribution

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