Longford film 'Lakelands' is making waves

The North Longford arts community will be paying particular attention to the The Irish Film & Television Academy film and drama awards later this year as local filmmakers contest four categories of the honour ceremony.

Founded in 2018 by Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney, Harp Media is a multi-discipline film production company based in the Midlands. They develop short and feature length films for general audiences, create corporate videos for brands and companies and provide training initiatives in all areas of filmmaking.

Their debut feature film ‘Lakelands‘ was filmed on location in Granard and stars Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People, Vivarium), Danielle Galligan (Netflix’s Shadow and Bone), Lorcan Cranitch (Bloodlands, The Dig), Dafhyd Flynn (Michael Inside), Dara Devaney (Arracht), and Gary Lydon (Calvary).
It won Best Irish Film at Galway Film Fleadh and the Kerry Film Festival. It also won the Bankside Award at the Galway Film Fleadh for best marketplace project. Wildcard Distribution are taking care of the UK and Ireland release.
Now Lakelands is nominated in four categories in this year's IFTA awards. The Irish Film & Television Academy film and drama awards recognise Irish creative talent working in film, drama, and television, and winners receive a cast bronze statuette.

This has been an extraordinary year for Irish film and TV, so competition is set to be very stiff. The Longford shot film got the nod for Best Film, Lead Actor for Eanna Hardwicke, Lead Actress for Danielle Galligan and Original Music for Daithi.
Lakelands goes up against big hitter Banshee of Inisherin and The Wonder as well as Aisha, God's Creatures, and Róise & Frank.

Speaking to the Leader about the nominations, Robert spoke of the potential such an acknowledgement can have: “The IFTA nominations were a lovely surprise to wake up to last week. We’re very grateful to everyone at the academy who voted for the film and hope that it gives the film a boost ahead of its cinema release.
“When we were making the film in the cold November days down home in Granard, we didn’t imagine it ending up on such a stage but it’s been a great lift for the cast, the crew and the community who helped so much in getting it made.”

Paddy thanked everyone in the local community for their support: “We just want to thank everyone who rowed in behind the film and helped with the making of it. The film really was a community effort in the truest sense of the word. From the beginning we hoped that the film might travel and give us the opportunity to shine a light on our corner of the country and hopefully the nominations will help with that.”

The upcoming 20th Anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony, hosted by Deirdre O'Kane, will take place on Sunday, 7th May 2023 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre and will be broadcast by RTÉ.
Lakelands was screened last weekend as part of the Manchester Film Festival, while a London screening at Riverside Studios also attracted attention.

There was a ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 12, 2023.
The lads were paying attention to another awards ceremony in Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this month. Their most recent short film ‘Drifting’ starred Oscar nominated Paul Mescal, who was up for a gong at the 95th Academy Awards.