Filmmaker flying from USA to exclusive Kildare movie screening

A vintage Laois cinema will host an exclusive Irish screening of a Kildare made movie this month, attended by its USA resident director, and some of the cast and crew.

Irishman Paul Pender lives in Connecticut for some 30 years, but is flying home for the screening of his film Charlie Gorman’s Wake, in the community run Balcony Cinema in Mountmellick Community Arts Centre on Tuesday, July 9.

Filmed in Kilmeague, Kildare and Connecticut, it won Best Comedy at the Crown Point International Film Festival 2023, and has featured in a host of other US film festivals.

It tells the story of friendship among the patrons of the fictional Gorman's Bar, filled with humour and moments of sadness too.

The Mountmellick connection comes about in the form of a local publican at the Druid Inn, Gerry Mulvaney. 

“I’m a mate of Paul’s for nearly 30 years. He is a musician and I met him when he played in Sean Doherty’s Rathfarnham where I was a barman. We visit each other often,” Gerry told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“I thought it would be nice to do something in Mountmellick, we have the lovely Balcony cinema but it's only used one night a week. This will be a way to help them out and bring in a bit of revenue,” Gerry said.

Gerry Mulvaney of The Druid Inn Mountmellick with friend and film director Paul Pender.

The film is co-directed by Paul and Katie Santacroce, and is written by Paul who also acts in it along with Katie and Paul’s mother Maureen who lives in Kilmeague. A host of experienced local theatre actors include Brian Beirne, Kevin Connolly and Marian Cronin.

Paul told the Leinster Express how the exclusive for Mountmellick came about.

“I was hoping to get it into the Galway Film Fleadh but I only found out two weeks ago that it was not accepted. 

“It’s been in loads of film festivals in the states but only was accepted to two in Ireland. It’s disappointing for an Irish movie mostly made in Ireland with nearly all Irish actors,” he said.

One of those film festivals was even in Hollywood.

“We were at the Chinese Theatre while they were setting up for the Oscars. We’ve gone the whole festival route here,” he said.

A proud Dublin man like Gerry, he has grown fond of Laois on his visits.

“I played for Gerry’s opening weekend in The Druid, and I go to Mountmellick every single time I come home. My grandmother was from Laois, Anne McDonald from Ballylinan,” he said.

He is looking forward to seeing his movie in the lovely Balcony movie theatre, a restored 1950s plush venue seating just 136.

“They tried it out on the big screen in the Balcony cinema a year and a half ago. It looked great. I got the tour of the arts centre by Mick Feeley, it’s beautiful. I’d love to put it on as a play there. Mountmellick Drama Group even have a copy of the play,” he said.

He explained how he made his first movie, helped by movie making professionals who came on board for free, impressed by its potential.

“I had an Irish pub in Connecticut called The Old Dublin and I wrote it as a play and got the New Haven Players to put it on stage. It was a huge success. I thought it could be a movie so I wrote a screenplay and we shot a DVD of the play. I asked the stage cast who already knew their characters so well to perform it in my pub. We shot it over a few years because I had to raise the money,” Paul said.

The exterior scenes were then filmed back in Kildare.

His film cost less than $100,000 to make, largely because the actors and crew worked for free.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite at €20, which include a copy of the movie, which supporters can then get autographed by the director and some of the crew.  Tickets will also be available on the door. It screens at 8pm, on Tuesday night, July 9.

“I hope people will come out on the night and support the cinema,” Gerry said.

Watch a trailer on www.charliegormanswakethefilm.com