Paris-based mk2 films will be launching sales on\u00a0Four Mothers\u00a0at this year\u2019s American Film Market.<\/p>\n
Directed by Darren Thornton (A Date for Mad Mary),\u00a0Four Mothers\u00a0is an Irish twist on the acclaimed Italian hit\u00a0Mid-August Lunch. It stars James McArdle (Andor,\u00a0Mare of Easttown, Mary Queen of Scots) as\u00a0Edward, a novelist who cares for his elderly mother Alma (Fionnula Flanagan –\u00a0The Guard, The Others,\u00a0Lost)). Finally\u00a0on\u00a0the brink of literary success\u00a0and busy\u00a0with the demands of his upcoming book tour, the last thing Edward needs is his friends leaving their mothers on his doorstep! Over a chaotic weekend, he has to juggle his burgeoning career with the care of four eccentric, combative, and wildly different ladies.<\/p>\n
The cast also includes, Paddy Glynn\u00a0(Cinderella), Dearbhla Molloy (Wild Mountain Thyme) and Stella McCusker (Game of Thrones).<\/p>\n
\u201cDarren and Colin Thornton have crafted a script that builds on the charm and warmth of\u00a0Mid-August Lunch, expertly transposing the story to Ireland. It is a tender comedy that will resonate with audiences, and we can\u2019t wait to introduce\u00a0Four Mothers\u00a0to buyers at AFM.\u201d Fionnuala Jamison, mk2 films\u2019 Managing Director.<\/p>\n
\u201cMyself and my brother Colin are huge fans of Gianni di Gregorio’s beautiful film Mid-August Lunch and were thrilled to have the opportunity to adapt it. We put a lot of ourselves into this story, having cared for our own mother. Conscious of all the heart-break and humour that come from those responsibilities.\u201d says director Darren Thornton<\/p>\n
Four Mothers\u00a0is produced by Eric Abraham and Jack Sidey for Portobello Films and Television and Martina Niland for Port Pictures.\u00a0The film is funded by Screen Ireland,\u00a0The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, RT\u00c9,\u00a0The Irish Tax Credit and\u00a0the UK\u2019s\u00a0Portobello Films and Television\u00a0and The Common Humanity Arts Trust.<\/p>\n
Four Mothers was shot in Ireland, \u00a0is in post-production with delivery scheduled for for S1 2023. mk2 films will be sharing the script and first images at AFM.<\/p>\n
Also new for AFM, mk2 films will be unveiling\u00a0a promoreel for Sophie Barthes\u2019 much-anticipated THE POD GENERATION starring Emmy and SAG Nominee Emilia Clarke and Academy Award & Golden Globe Nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor. In a not-so-distant future, Rachel and Alvy are ready to start a family, and a visit to a high-tech womb center opens up the possibility of taking an alternate route for their pregnancy \u2013 an artificial womb, or pod.<\/p>\n
Other AFM highlights include new footage for mk2 films\u2019 two animated films which will be ready in 2023. Firstly, from Jim Capobianco, the Academy Award nominated writer of Pixar\u2019s\u00a0Ratatouille,\u00a0is\u00a0The Inventor\u00a0about perhaps the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci. With an all-star voice cast including Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, and Marion Cotillard.<\/p>\n
Secondly, there is\u00a0Mars Express,\u00a0a super-stylish and futuristic film noir, combining 2D and 3D animation, and packed with humor and exhilarating action sequences. It follows private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner as they track down a notorious hacker and uncover a plot that threatens to change the face of the universe.<\/p>\n
2023 is gearing up to be another busy year for mk2 films, with recently announced titles Molly Manning Walker\u2019s\u00a0How To Have Sex\u00a0and Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon\u2019s\u00a0The Falling Star\u00a0also due to be ready. Other titles nearing completion are\u00a0A Winter\u2019s Journey, an adaptation of Franz Schubert\u2019s timeless masterpiece\u00a0\u201cWinterreise\u201d\u00a0painted by the animation artists behind\u00a0Loving Vincent,\u00a0Olivier Babinet\u2019s 1990s-set, moving father-and-daughter tale, Normal, and\u00a0Justine Triet\u2019s Hitchcockian thriller Anatomy of a Fall starring Sandra H\u00fcller.<\/p>\n
mk2 films\u2019 also boast a number of titles gaining awards momentum with Marie Kreuzer\u2019s\u00a0Corsage,\u00a0following on from its best actress prize for Vicky Krieps in Cannes, with the Best Film award at BFI London Film Festival, and a nomination for Best International Feature at the Gothams. It is also Austria\u2019s Oscar entry. Other mk2 titles vying to make the Academy Award Best International Feature nominations are Carla Sim\u00f3n\u2019s Golden Bear winner\u00a0Alcarr\u00e0s\u00a0for Spain and Davy Chou\u2019s\u00a0Return to Seoul\u00a0for Cambodia<\/p>\n