Filming has begun on Treasure Entertainment and RTÉ/BBC Studios TV Series 'Smother'

We are excited to announce that our latest TV project, RTÉ commissioned drama Smother, has begun filming in Co. Clare and reveal the cast involved in the project.

Written by Kate O’Riordan (Mr Selfridge, and upcoming Channel 5 drama Penance) Smother is a family thriller about deeply buried secrets and their unintended consequences, set in a small town on the wild and rugged coast of Clare.

Dervla Kirwan (The Stranger, White Dragon) leads as family matriarch Val - a devoted mother who is determined to protect her family and particularly her three daughters Jenny, Anna and Grace, at any cost.

Jenny is a heavily pregnant single doctor, unsure of the choices she has made, played by Niamh Walsh (Good Omens, Jamestown). Grace, is an angry but fragile young woman struggling with mental health issues, played by Seána Kerslake (Headcases, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, The Hole in the Ground). Anna is a devoted step-mother to two teenage boys whose birth mother has recently reappeared on the scene, played by Gemma-Leah Devereux (Judy, The Tudors).

When Val Ahern’s husband Denis played by Stuart Graham (The Cure, Hunger) is found dead at a foot of a cliff close to their home the morning after a family party, Val begins to interrogate the events that unfolded the night before. Val explores Denis’s relationships with his children, step-children and his siblings in order to find out who might have been responsible for his brutal, shocking death. The deeper Val delves into her family’s secrets the more she realises how her late husband’s controlling, manipulative behaviour had a deep affect on each member of the family.

The cast also includes Thomas Levin (Borgen), Hilary Rose (The Young Offenders) and Justine Mitchell (Cheat).

Dervla Kirwan said: “It’s been a long time since anything this well written about an Irish family has come my way. In Smother Kate O’Riordan has created a riveting thriller that will wake the world up to contemporary Ireland and rewrite an outdated narrative that has been peddled about the Irish for years. Val is such a complex, layered character and a ferociously protective mother and I’m really excited to be playing her in such a powerful Irish drama. Smother has so much to say about modern families, and it says it in a compelling and gripping way.”

Seána Kerslake said: 'I am delighted to be a part of Smother, a compelling modern Irish family drama. It’s great to have County Clare, one of the most beautiful and dramatic parts of our country, as a backdrop. I play Grace Ahern, a complicated and passionate character with a lot of depth and history to explore which is always dynamic and fun to play. We have a stellar cast involved and some of Ireland's finest crew so I’m really excited to see how it all comes together.”

Smother has been created by Kate O’ Riordan and developed by BBC Studios Drama North and Scotland in partnership with Dublin-based Treasure Entertainment, and commissioned by RTÉ. It is being produced by Rob Walpole and Rebecca O’Flanagan from Treasure with Executive Producers Tom Sherry and Michael Parke from BBC Studios and lead writer, Kate O’Riordan. Executive Producers for RTÉ are Shane Murphy and David Crean.

Metal Heart in Irish cinemas June 28th

Hugh O’Conor’s debut feature film, Metal Heart, will be in Irish cinemas from June 28th. This quirky coming-of-age film stars Jordanne Jones in a breakout role which won her the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the 2018 Galway Film Fleadh. Don’t miss the Irish teen movie of 2019!

Directed by Hugh O'Conor. With Jordanne Jones, Leah McNamara, Moe Dunford , Seán Doyle. There is much rivalry between twin sisters Emma and Chantal, quite different in just about every way, when their mysterious young neighbour moves back in. #metalheartmovie

Papi Chulo release set for June 7th

Papi Chulo is set to be released in Ireland and the US on June 7th. Distributed by Eclipse Pictures in Ireland and Blue Fox Entertainment in the US, John Butler’s third feature is not to be missed. Starring Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño, Papi Chulo sees John Butler return to the themes of empathy and unlikely friendship.

Writer and Director John Butler (The Stag, Handsome Devil) latest feature, PAPI CHULO, sees the Irish film-maker return to the themes of empathy and unlikely friendship. Cast adrift in Los Angeles, Sean - a lonely TV weatherman (Matt Bomer) drives pas a middle-aged Latino migrant worker (Alejandro Patiño) standing outside a hardware store looking for work.

The Trap to screen at Dingle International Film Festival

There is yet another chance to catch Helen Flanagan’s short The Trap coming up on March 23rd. Showing as part of the Screen Ireland shorts programme in the beautiful St. James’ Church at the Dingle International Film Festival, The Trap will screen at 6pm. Get your tickets here!

Paul Reid in The Trap

Papi Chulo & Metal Heart to screen at Glasgow Film Festival 2019

If you were dying for an opportunity to catch both Papi Chulo and Metal Heart at the same festival, you’re in luck! John Butler’s Papi Chulo will be the opening gala screening for this year’s festival on 21st February, with a further screening on 22nd, and Hugh O’Conor’s Metal Heart will screening as part of the festival’s Pioneer Strand on 2/3 March.

You can buy tickets for both here.

Metal Heart US Premiere at Santa Barbara International

Hugh O’Conor’s Metal Heart will have its US premiere at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival screening in the Independent Competition sponsored by Panavision on January 31st.

Find out more about the Santa Barbara screening here.

The Trap to screen at Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival + Alice Vignoles-Russel nominated for 2019 Discovery Award

To add to our excitement at John’s Butler Papi Chulo opening the 2019 festival, there is also another chance to see Helen Flanagan’s short, The Trap. Our brilliant production designer Alice Vignoles-Russel has also been nominated for the 2019 Discovery Award for her work on The Trap.

Get your tickets here for the Screen Ireland Shorts Programme on Saturday 23rd Feb.

Paul Reid in The Trap