Rónán Ó Muirthile, Head of Faculty at IADT writes about the golden era of Irish film and films in Irish we are experiencing at the moment rooted in the love of the craft.
It is the tone of surprise that always amuses me. "Isn't it great that the film is in Irish?" "Who would have imagined that a film 'As Gaeilge’ could be so successful!" It should be of no surprise to anyone and we have TG4, a bunch of passionate activists and Michael D. to thank for it.
That said, the recent success of Irish language films has been remarkable and is a joy to watch. An Cailin Ciúin (2022) is a beautiful, simple, and heartfelt tale of a young girl sent into foster care with relatives. It is much more of course, and leaving aside the fact that I am biased (I am lucky enough to know many of the team behind it, including producer Cleona Ní Chrualaoí and Colm Bairéad director) it is one of the most engaging and stylish films that we have seen in Ireland in some time. (Tarkovsky eat your heart out!) But don’t believe me. It had its world premier at the Berlinale, winning a Grand Prix award, it opened - no less - the Dublin International Film Festival winning the best Irish Film award and they even went on the Late Late the other night.
This follows in the wake of Arracht (2019), a compelling look at the brutality of the Irish Famine which was selected as the Irish entry to the Oscars in 2020, Song of Granite (2018) Pat Collins, the master documentary craftsman, telling the story of singer Joe Heaney and the excellent Rocky Ros Muc (2017) about Connemara boxer Sean Mannion.
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What links them all? They are good stories well told and they have the backing of Cine4. Ní neart go cur le chéile is the saying and Cine4 is testament to that. An initiative that brings together TG4, Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority in a scheme to fund and develop original Irish language feature films. The budgets are modest but the ambition is significant. But that doesn’t explain the almost overnight success.
For me it is down to the quality of our filmmakers. This isn’t some naff reference to Irish storytelling. Being able to make people laugh in the pub isn’t storytelling. It is down to a love of the craft, hard work and attention to detail. People working in FIlm and TV in Ireland have to be incredibly resourceful. People often talk of the quality of programming on TG4. The production values are all the more remarkable given the budgets. Not everything on TG4 is brilliant but not everything on the BBC is either - the commitment, however, is there always.
The work stands and you can see the thread running back through Corp agus Anam (2011-14) and An Klondike (2015) both quality TV dramas. Documentaries Murdair Mhám Trasna (2018) and Lón sa Spéar (2012) and even as far back as the feature drama Cré na CIlle (2007). By and large, the people working in Irish film and indeed Irish language film are not doing it for the money but for the love of the craft. They are gutsy and talented, and like Colm and Cleona have shown in An Cailin Ciúin, they have a real empathy for storytelling. The language they speak and work in, is film.
Word is the latest Cine4 film, Róise & Frank, from Macalla, producers of Arracht, is going to be a hit too. We are indeed living in a golden age of Irish FIlm, Television and Animation as evidenced by new figures published by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. We owe a lot to Michael D and others who had the foresight to jump start the industry in the 1990s. We are reaping the benefits today.
Bliain thar cionn do scannán Éirinneacha agus scannáin i nGaeilge
Cuireann an t-iontas, an ton sin an bhíonn i nglór daoine, mé soir i gcónaí. "Nach bhfuil sé go hiontach go bhfuil an scannán i nGaeilge?" "Cé a shamhlódh go n-éireodh chomh maith sin le scannán ‘as Gaeilge’!" Ní cheart go gcuirfeadh sé iontas ar bith ar éinne agus murach TG4, grúpa gníomhaithe paiseanta agus Micheál D ní bheadh an borradh seo ann in aon chor.
É sin ráite, tá rath ar leith faoi scannáin Ghaeilge le déanaí agus is cúis áthais é sin dúinn ar fad. Scéal álainn, simplí, croíúil é An Cailin Ciúin (2022) faoi chailín óg a chuirtear faoi chúram gaolta ar feadh samhradh. Tá i bhfad níos mó i gceist, dar ndóigh, agus cé do bhfuilim claonta (tá an t-ádh dearg orm go bhfuil aithne agam ar go leor den fhoireann a léirigh an scannán, léiritheoir Cleona Ní Chrualaoí agus stiúrthóir Colm Bairéad - daoine breátha - ina measc) tá sé ar cheann de na scannáin Éirinneacha is tarraingtí agus is mealltaí le tamall in aon teanga. (Tarkovsky sna Déise!) Ach ná creid mise. Cuireadh ar an scáileán é don chéad uair ag an Berlinale, áit a bhuaigh sé gradam Grand Prix, d'oscail sé Féile Scannán Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Cliath agus bhuadar an gradam don Scannán Éireannach is fearr agus bhíodar ar an Late Late fiú, by deaid.
Ní eisceacht í seo. Leanann an deá nuacht is déanaí Arracht (2019), scannán a leagan súil ghéar ar bhrúidiúlacht an Ghorta Mhóir. Roghnaíodh é mar iontráil na hÉireann ar na Oscars i 2020. Roimhe sin bhí gach éinne ag caint faoi fad-scannán fáisnéise an máistir-cheardaí Pat Collins Song of Granite (2018) a inisíonn scéal an tamhránaí Joe Heaney. Tháinig sé sin ar shálaí sár-chlár fáisnéise eile Rocky Ros Muc (2017) faoin dornálaí as Conamara Sean Manion.
Cad a nascann iad go léir? Is scannáin den chéad ghrád iad agus Cine4 a mhaoinigh iad.
Ní neart go cur le chéile. Scéim is ea Cine4 ina dtugann TG4, Fís Éireann agus an tÚdarás Craolacháin airgead do léiritheorí chun fadscannán Ghaeilge a fhorbairt. Tá na buiséid beag ach tá an t-uaillmhian suntasach. Ach ní mhíníonn sé sin an rath thar oíche beagnach atá tar éis teacht le Cine4.
Domsa is é caighdeán agus profisiúntacht lucht déanta scannán na tíre seo is cúis leis. Ní tagairt fánach éigin é seo do chaighdéan scéalaíocht muintir na hÉireann. Ní ionnan scéal maith a chur ar an scáiléan agus a bheith in ann daoine a chur ag gáire sa phub. Tá lucht teilifíse agus scannáin tiomnaithe don cheird, don obair chrua agus do na mionsonraí. Caithfidh daoine atá ag obair i scannán agus teilifís in Éirinn a bheith thar a bheith díograiseach,dúthrachtach is seiftiúil. Is minic a labhraíonn daoine faoi chaighdeán na gclár ar TG4. Is suntasaí fós na luachanna léiriúcháin i bhfianaise na mbuiséad ísle. Níl gach rud ar TG4 thar cionn ach níl gach rud ar an BBC ach an oiread - bíonn an t-uaillmhian ann i gcónaí, áfach.
Seasann an obair. Is féidir na fréamahcha a fheiscint ag dul siar tríd an dá dhráma teilifíse ardchaighdeáin Corp agus Anam (2011-14) agus An Klondike (2015). Clár faisnéise Murdair Mhám Trasna (2018) agus Lón sa Spéar (2012) agus fiú chomh fada siar leis an ngné-dhráma Cré na CIlle (2007). Tríd is tríd, ní ar mhaithe leis an airgid a dhéanann na daoine atá ag obair san earnáil sa tír seo an obair seo, agus go deimhin in earnáil an Ghaeilge, ach is ar son grá na ceirde atá sé. Tá siad stuama agus cumasach, agus mar a léirigh Colm agus Cleona in An Cailin Ciúin, tá fíor-ionbhá acu don scéalaíocht. Is scannán í an teanga a labhraíonn siad agus ina n-oibríonn siad.
Deirtear go bhfuil an scannán is déanaí de chuid stábla Cine4, Róise & Frank, ó Macalla, iadsan a léirigh Arracht, ar fheabhas freisin. Go deimhin, táimid ag maireachtaint i ré órga na Scannánaíochta, na Teilifíse agus na Beochana sa tír seo, mar is léir ó fhigiúirí nua a d’fhoilsigh Fís Éireann le déanaí. Tá muid go mór faoi chomaoin ag Michael D agus daoine eile a raibh an fadradharc acu chun ath-tús a chur leis an tionscal sna 1990idí. Táimid ag baint súp as inniu.
