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The director of My Left Foot and In The Name of the Father has turned his attention to the infamous West Cork murder.
Six-time Oscar-nominee Jim Sheridan is one of the greatest creative sources to come from Ireland, having garnered huge respect thanks to his massively impressive CV including the likes of My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father, In America, The Field, The Boxer, and more besides.
For his latest project, Sheridan is turning to one of the darkest mysteries ever to take place in Ireland: the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
Anyone who has listened to the hugely popular West Cork podcast will be well aware of the murder case, but Sheridan’s documentary series – titled Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie – will piece together some original evidence, as well as some never-before-seen footage, in an attempt to make sense of what happened.
For those who don’t know, this is the synopsis of the case according to the filmmakers:
“In 1996, two days before Christmas, Sophie, the wife of French filmmaker Daniel Toscan du Plantier, was brutally murdered at her holiday cottage in Schull, West Cork. The murder rocked the quiet, Irish town and 24 years later, the case remains a mystery. The key suspect, English journalist Ian Bailey – the first reporter on the scene – was quickly arrested by local police following eye-witness reports, yet was never found guilty in Ireland, owing to a lack of reliable evidence.
“Despite this, Bailey was found guilty in absentia by the French courts in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Having successfully fought repeated extradition requests from the French authorities, Bailey still resides in West Cork and maintains his innocence to this day.”
The documentary series will also feature access to members of Sophie’s family, as well as Ian Bailey.
Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie is set to be released on Sky Crime and NOW on Sunday, 20 June.
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