“It’s a sweet coming-of-age tale about communication and missed connections.”
Before ‘The Van’ came ‘Good Chips’ – chronologically, at least.
Roddy Doyle’s ‘The Van’ (released in 1996) is set around Italia 90 as friends Bimbo and Larry set up a chip van that becomes a surprise success due to the World Cup journey of Jack Charlton’s Ireland.
Good Chips is set a year before that tournament. It is set in Dublin 1989 and tells the story of a family of Vietnamese immigrants who struggle to keep their takeaway business afloat, while their 12-year-old daughter Tam unexpectedly finds common ground with a local Irish boy. It will premiere on Virgin Media One at 11pm tonight (March 2)
Last summer, the short film was announced as one of three winners in the Virgin Media Discovers competition. It was co-written by Brigid Leahy and Nell Hensey, who also directed it and produced Lara Hickey and Sarah Ahern.
The winning three filmmaker’s scripts were awarded €30,000 to bring their script to life on screen with the production of a 10-minute short film. Along with this, the winning films will be broadcast on TV and Virgin Media on Demand. They were also screened at the Dublin International Film Festival, last Saturday.
Interviewed last year, when Good Chips was named as one of the award-winners, co-writer Brigid Leahy commented:
‘As Asian-Irish women, we wanted to tell the story of our parents, their different cultural values and how they have navigated a new culture. The film is set in 1980s Ireland but deals with modern themes that have resonance in today’s world, especially as there is a notable increase in crimes against the Asian community in Ireland and around the world.’
‘Calf’ aired on Wednesday while ‘Unhinged’ is on Virgin Media Two at 11:10pm on Friday, and available to view on the Virgin Media Player.
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