Wildfire - Cathy Brady's highly anticipated first feature announced

19 October 2018

Pre-production is underway on WILDFIRE, the highly anticipated feature debut from award-winning Irish director Cathy Brady (Morning, Small Change, Wasted) and a multi award-winning team of producers: Tempesta Films’ Carlo Cresto-Dina (The Wonders -Cannes Jury Grand Prix, Happy As Lazzaro - Cannes Best Script), Cowboy Films’ Charles Steel(Oscar and BAFTA-winning The Last King of Scotland, Marley) and Samson Films’ David Collins (Oscar and Sundance winner Once, Float Like A Butterfly).

An Irish-UK co-production, WILDFIRE was supported through development and production by the BFI (using funds from the National Lottery), Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and the Wellcome Trust. Film4, Sulcata Productions, Illium and Lexis Media also co-financed production. Lizzie Francke, Celine Haddad, Lauren Dark, Emma Duffy, Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve are the executive producers. WILDFIRE will shoot on location in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for 6 weeks later this year. Award-winning cinematographer Crystel Fournier (Girlhood, Nico 1988) is the DOP.

WILDFIRE is the story of two sisters who grew up on the fractious Irish border. When one of them, who has been missing, finally returns home, the intense bond with her sister is re-ignited. Together they unearth their mother’s past but uncovered secrets and resentments which have been buried deep, threaten to overwhelm them.

Cathy Brady’s journey in making this film began by casting the lead actors Nika McGuigan (The Secret Scripture, Traders) and Nora-Jane Noone (Brooklyn, The Magdalene Sisters, The Descent). From there, over a year-long workshop process of improvisations, transcript, rehearsal, voice and dance drills, she created the story and wrote the script.

“What excited us by WILDFIRE was firstly Cathy’s energy and talent,” said the producers, “but also the unique generative process Cathy wanted for this: trying to create a film that is different because it’s made differently. “

Great Point is handling world sales and Head of Sales Nada Cirjanic and her team will be introducing the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. Cirjanic said: “We were moved by the piercing emotional truth of this story of a family in crisis, and captivated by Cathy’s clear and powerful vision for bringing it to life.”

ABOUT THE BFI

The BFI Film Fund supports world-class UK filmmaking from talent and film development, through to production and audience development across exhibition, distribution and international sales, investing over £50 million of National Lottery funding a year.

Recent releases and highly anticipated films backed by the BFI include Mike Leigh’s Peterloo which receives its UK premiere at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival and Cold War which brought Pawel Pawlikowski the Best Director at this year’s Cannes. Both screened at the Toronto International Film Festival alongside Wash Westmoreland’s Colette, William McGregor’s Gwen, Claire Denis’s High Life, Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, Carol Morley’s Out of Blue, Annabel Jankel’sTell it to the Bees, Tom Harper’s Wild Rose, IWC Schaffhausen award-winner Richard Billingham’s Ray & Liz, and Amma Asante’s Where Hands Touch. Also in the pipeline for release are Victor Kosskovksy’s Aquarela;Brian Welsh’s Beats; Tinge Krishnan’s Been So Long; Scott Graham’s Born to Run; Chiwetel Ejiofor’s The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind; Peter Middleton and James Spinney’s Chaplin; Chris Morris Untitled Project; Neil Biswas’s Darkness Visible; Jason Barker’s A Deal with the Universe; Andrew Hulme’s The Devil Outside; Sacha Polak’s Dirty God; Craig Roberts’ Eternal Beauty; Jim Hosking’s An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Deliver’d; Iain Cunningham’sIrene’s Ghost; Gabrielle Brady’s Island of the Hungry Ghosts; Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s Normal People; Matthew Jones’ The Man from Mo’ Wax; Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Mary Shelley; Hong Khaou’s Monsoon; Sean McAllister’s A Northern Soul; Matthew Holness’ Possum; Steve McLean’s Postcards from London; Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You; Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir; Chino Moya’s Undergods; Tim Travers Hawkins’s XY Chelsea; and Idris Elba’s Yardie.

The BFI is the lead organisation for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:

Connecting audiences to the widest choice of UK and World cinema

Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

Championing emerging and world class filmmakers in the UK - investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work

Promoting UK film and talent to the world

Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

ABOUT SCREEN IRELAND

Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. Screen Ireland's mission is to support and promote Irish film, television and animation through fostering Irish artistic vision and our diverse creative and production talent, growing audiences, and attracting filmmakers and investment into the country. Recent hits supported by Screen Ireland include Black ’47, The Breadwinner, Float like a Butterfly, Papi Chulo and Greta. 

ABOUT WELLCOME

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We’re a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate.

ABOUT FILM4

Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking, both new and established.

Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award®-winners such as Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary Amy, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Danny Boyle’sSlumdog Millionaire and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady, in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Chris Morris’s Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.

Film4’s recent releases include Bart Layton’s American Animals, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, Lenny Abrahamson’s The Little Stranger, Iain Morris’s The Festival, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, Clio Barnard’s Dark River, Michael Pearce’sBeast and Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Forthcoming releases include Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite, Steve McQueen’s Widows, Sebastián Lelio’s Disobedience, Tinge Krishnan’s Been So Long, Mike Leigh’sPeterloo, Stephen Merchant’s Fighting With My Family, Tom Harper’s Wild Rose and Jim Hosking’s An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn. Films in production include Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, Asif Kapadia’s Maradona, Sarah Gavron’s ‘Untitled Girls Film’, Nick Rowland’s Calm With Horses, Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang, Coky Giedroyc’s adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s How To Build a Girl and Chaplin from Peter Middleton and James Spinney.

For further information please visit www.film4productions.com (opens in a new window).

ABOUT GREAT POINT MEDIA

Founded in 2013 by Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve, Great Point Media specializes in the development, investment, distribution and sales of intellectual property in entertainment media. The U.K.-based company has produced and helped bring to the screen such acclaimed films as Damsel, Love After Love, The Party and Lady Macbeth.

Co-founder Robert Halmi is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning film and television producer with over 300 production credits, including Tin Man, Farscape and Lonesome Dove. Co-founder Reeve is an Emmy Award-winning producer with 25 years’ experience in production finance and distribution with credits including Foyle’s War and Jack Higgins’ On Dangerous Ground.