It has been announced that the Cillian Murphy-starring Small Things Like These, an adaptation of the Claire Keegan bestseller of the same name, will open next month's Berlin International Film Festival.
Entertainment trade publication The Hollywood Reporter says that along with opening the festival, Small Things Like These will also screen in competition in Berlin.
Murphy stars opposite Emily Watson, Eileen Walsh, and Michelle Fairley in the adaptation of Wexford author Keegan's Booker Prize-nominated bestseller and is also among the producers.
The film reunites Murphy with Peaky Blinders director Tim Mielants, and the script has been written by Murphy's longtime collaborator, the playwright Enda Walsh.
Set in an Irish town at Christmas 1985, Small Things Like These follows fuel merchant Bill Furlong (Murphy) as he discovers secrets about his homeplace and his own life. It was filmed in Wexford, Wicklow, and Dublin last year.
Small Things Like These received the green light from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's company Artists Equity (AE).
The film has received backing from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and is the first feature from Murphy and production partner Alan Moloney's Big Things Films.
Keegan's book Foster was the basis for the Oscar-nominated Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl), which was an award winner in Berlin in 2022.
"With Small Things Like These, Tim Mielants tells the story of a man of few words, with wide open eyes, as clear as the skies of Ireland," said the Berlin International Film Festival's Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian.
"In The Quiet Girl, we already had sense of Claire Keegan's skill in portraying small, apparently simple characters and making them unforgettable; here her delicate, rich, and yet down-to-earth writing finds a great interpreter in Cillian Murphy.
"We are confident that this story that allies the kindness to be directed to the more fragile, and the willpower to stand up against injustice, will resonate with everyone.
"We are looking forward to launching this 'quiet' yet quite exceptional film at the start of Zeitgeist Irland 24, a year-long celebration of Irish culture in Germany."
We are excited to finally announce the opening film of the 2024 Berlinale: The festival will open with the world premiere of "Small Things Like These" by Tim Mielants, starring Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, and Emily Watson!
— Berlinale (@berlinale) January 18, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/6jsBIXV2tE pic.twitter.com/pmX1T2hx67
Producers Murphy and Moloney said: "We are delighted with today's announcement that Small Things Like These will be the official Opening Film of the 2024 Berlinale.
"It was an honour to have adapted Claire Keegan's powerhouse of a novel with screenwriter Enda Walsh and director Tim Mielants, brought to life by the talent and passion of our incredible cast and crew in New Ross, Wicklow, and Dublin. Our huge thanks to Artists Equity and Screen Ireland for their support.
"Having an Irish film open the Berlinale is a tribute to the power of storytelling at home, and we can't wait for audiences to see the film."
The Berlin International Film Festival runs from 15-25 February.
