The stunningly beautiful Song of Granite which is Ireland’s submission for the Foreign Language category at next year’s Academy Awards will be released in Irish cinemas on 8th December. Wildcard Distribution, who are distributing the film, have released the official trailer and an image from the film. Watch the trailer here:
The biopic from acclaimed filmmaker Pat Collins (Silence) charts the rise of traditional Irish folk singer Joe Heaney, and how the songs of his west of Ireland childhood helped shape his complex character. Co-written by Collins, Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde, and Sharon Whooley, the film had its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and was awarded the Best Cinematography prize (Richard Kendrick) at the Galway Film Fleadh.
Enigmatic and complex, Joe Heaney was one of the greats of traditional Irish singing (sean nós). Shaped by the myths, fables, and songs of his upbringing in the west of Ireland, his emergence as a gifted artist came at a personal cost. Featuring performances from Colm Seoighe, Macdara Ó’Fátharta, Jaren Cerf, Lisa O’Neill, Damien Dempsey, and sean nós singers Micheál O’Confhaola and Pól Ó Ceannabháin, and beautiful black and white cinematography, Song of Granite is a distinctive portrait of Heaney’s life and a marvellous exploration of music and song.
The film was produced by Alan Maher and Jessie Fisk of Marcie Films with Martin Paul-Hus of Amerique Film and was supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board, BAI, TG4 and with the financial participation of Société de Développement Des Entreprises Culturelles – Québec, Telefilm Canada.