Irish cinema is cottage industry - producer
Irish cinema has yet to move beyond being a cottage industry, a leading film producer claimed today.
Mark Cousins, the Belfast-born co-founder of 4 Way Productions with actor Robert Carlyle, director Antonia Bird and writer Irvine Welsh, said during a visit to the Foyle Film Festival that despite producing directors like Neil Jordan Ireland still had to make its mark on the international movie stage.
After taking part in a 90-minute discussion on movie industry heroes and villains, the former TV presenter and ex-director of the Edinburgh Film Festival said: “The British film industry remains a cottage industry with the exception of a production company like Working Title.
“But I have to say the Irish film industry is also very much a cottage industry, even more so.
“I have been writing a book about the story of film and it struck me that while Ireland would be central to any history of literature and central to any history of music, it is peripheral in the history of cinema.
“There have only been sporadic successes. That may be because it is hard to think of much visual art of any type which has been associated with Ireland.
“Certainly Neil Jordan is a film-maker of considerable talent who has made his mark.
“But if you compare Ireland to a country like Denmark it has not been as productive. Hopefully that will change, north and south.”
Mr Cousins today paid tribute to the relatively unknown actress, Mercedes McCambridge, who Orson Wells claimed was the greatest actress in cinema.
The film producer cited her as his hero in the film industry, noting that she had provided the voice of the devil in the Exorcist.
Controversially, he denounced Elia Kazan’s classic "On the Waterfront" starring Marlon Brando as a villainous film during the 90-minute discussion, claiming it was used to justify its director’s testimony against other movie industry figures during the McCarthy era in the 1950’s.
“This was a controversial choice because somebody in the audience in today’s discussion had it as their favourite film,” Mr Cousins confessed.
“But the fact is that Elia Kazan used the movie to justify the witch-hunt against movie industry figures who were denounced as communist.”
The former Edinburgh Film Festival director praised the organisers of the Foyle Festival in Londonderry, describing the programme as impressive.
“I think it is great that you have seen a market aspect to all that is going on in the film festival,” he said.
“Other festivals around the world like Cannes have all this showbiz and pizazz but to have real value a festival needs different sides to it.
“I think it is great that the Foyle Festival has things like the outreach programme with films being screened in Altnagelvin Hospital as well as screenings over the border in Letterkenny.”
