Longford film to light up the silver screen

A debut feature film shot on location in Granard is set to get its general release in Irish and UK cinemas. 'Lakelands' is a GAA drama directed by Granard's Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney.
It will be screened in cinemas across Ireland and the UK from May 5. Two new posters have been launched for the cinema release.

“We had our first spotting of the poster in the wild,” Robert laughs with the glee of a parent watching their child walk for the first time.

It's a big deal. Many independent films are made, not everyone gets a general release: “When we were on our first day of shooting in Granard Community Centre we could only have hoped it would get a cinema release. It's quite difficult for independent films to get over that hurdle. We are delighted Wildcard has taken us on and it is getting a wide release around the country. We always felt it was a film best seen on the big screen,” Robert told the Leader.

The film-maker believes Lakeland has a universality: “We've had a taste of it at the Festivals. While on circuit, people from other counties came up to us and to say “that's just like my home town”. I see the parallels with our own town of Granard and other towns, the way GAA culture is such a prominent part. That has been a real privilege of the experience, seeing those parallels.”

The film, nominated for four IFTAs including Best Film, Actor and Actress, is the first full length offering from Higgins and McGivney and features emerging Irish stars Éanna Hardwicke, who was named as one of Screen International’s Rising Stars Ireland recently, and Danielle Galligan as well as Gary Lydon, Dafhyd Flynn, and Lorcan Cranitch.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, while both Hardwicke and Galligan were awarded the Bingham Ray Talent Award for their performances in the film. Wildcard Distribution are coordinating the UK and Ireland release.

The award nominations may have boosted the film's viability: “I think it may have helped a little bit to get a wider release. We agreed with Wildcard when we were shooting that it would get a cinema release. We were not sure how many screens it would be, but it looks like we are getting a country wide release. The IFTAs brought a few extra eyes to the film, it is great to be in the mix with those big budget films. The plucky underdog,” Robert explained.

The film follows Cian, a young Gaelic footballer struggling to come to terms with a career-ending injury after an attack on a night out. He undertakes a search for his own identity in a small town where Gaelic football is a religion, and identity is defined by what you can do on the pitch.
Lakelands was produced by Robert and Patrick for Harp Media with support from Screen Ireland, Creative Ireland, Longford Arts Office and Backstage Theatre and was co-produced by Chris Higgins and Andrei Bogdan.

Three days after the cinema release the lads will head off to the 20th Anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony, hosted by Deirdre O'Kane, which will take place on Sunday, 7 May at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre and will be broadcast by RTÉ.