New feature film THE GUARANTEE, produced by John Kelleher Media in association with TV3, the Irish Film Board and the BAI is currently shooting in Dublin this week. Wildcard Distribution will bring the feature to Irish cinemas this autumn with a broadcast on TV3 scheduled for November.
Directed by Ian Power (The Runway), the feature film recreates the drama surrounding the most significant political decision in modern Irish history when the Irish government decided to guarantee the entire domestic banking system. It’s the first time the story has been told on the big screen and charts the origins of that pivotal decision (four years before that fateful night), and follows developments through the peak of the boom to the beginning of the bust.
As much as we’d like it too, it probably won’t feature a bunch of politicians and bankers being fed to a pride of starving lions.
Written by Colin Murphy and based on his stage play, THE GUARANTEE sees Peter Coonan (Love/Hate) play former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm. He’s joined by David Murray (Amber) who co-stars as Brian Lenihan while the roles of Kate Walsh, Sean Fitzpatrick and Brian Cowen are being played by Orla Fitzgerald (The Wind That Shakes The Barley), Morgan Jones (Breakfast on Pluto), and Gary Lydon (Calvary) respectively.
Speaking about the production, director Ian Power said “THE GUARANTEE is a story which covers the entire gamut of the human experience. That there is a hunger in Irish people to see a clear, unbiased version of this story I am in no doubt. I think they are owed that, and I think they will be surprised by the entertainment value of it - it’s a real roller coaster ride. In the past months I’ve watched every member of our wonderful cast and crew come on board with a sense that this job is different, that we are doing something important and special. It’s completely inspiring."
Writer Colin Murphy added “From a “tiny play” for Fishamble Theatre Company, to Fishamble’s national tour of the play Guaranteed!, to now filming THE GUARANTEE… It’s been an exhilarating - but demanding - journey with this story. It’s a thrill for me, as the writer, but it shouldn’t be any surprise, because this is the story that we’ve all been talking about for the past six years, it’s the story we all have opinions on - it is, in short, our story. I wanted to use the stage and screen to open up debate about Irish politics to a wider audience - I hope that audiences are going to be provoked by this as much as entertained by it.”
This is the first cinematic feature film to be shot in TV3’s Sony HD Studio.
