Irish film selected for prestigious showcase at Cannes
Directed by Rebekah Fortune (Just Charlie), it stars Rory Kinnear (James Bond, Men, The Imitation Game) and Academy Award-nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Apprentice, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3).
The film, made in Galway last year, introduces rising Irish talent Ezra Carlisle in his first major screen role.
The selection marks a significant milestone for the film, which will be presented to international buyers and festival programmers as part of the exclusive Great 8 spotlight - an initiative that has previously launched acclaimed titles such as Charlotte Wells' Aftersun, Rose Glass's Saint Maud, and Rich Peppiatt's Kneecap.
Written by Richard Brabin, the film follows eight-year-old Leo (Carlisle) - curious, wise and full of imagination. His best friend is a massive shark - half sculpture, half myth - that crashed through the roof of his house one night when his dad, Peter (Kinnear), gave shape to what he couldn't say out loud.
Leo's world is full of questions: why do grown-ups act so strangely? Where did Mum go five years ago? And will Dad ever come down from the clouds - or at least remember to do the shopping?
Peter's either buried in big, bonkers art projects or barely speaking, so Leo daydreams vividly and shares his secrets with the shark, who might just be listening but can't speak back.
Then Anya (Bakalova) bursts into their lives: a spirited au pair with her own questions to shatter the silence and answers more honest than Leo has ever heard before. Her fearless warmth and energy brings back colour to their world and uplifts their lives.
The Great 8 showcase is produced by the BFI and British Council, with thanks to BBC Film and Film4.
The film will be available for acquisition at the Cannes Marché du Film, with international sales handled by Bankside Films.
Learning to Breathe Under Water is produced by Patrick O'Neill for Wildcard and Jack Tarling for Shudder Films, in co-production with KeyFilm and One Wave Films, and in association with Éiru Films.
The project was supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the UK Global Screen Fund, Ffilm Cymru Wales, the WRAP Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, Dias Feld, Finite Films, Bankside Films, and Three Point Capital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hotel prices shot up in Dublin for Oasis - but it's still cheapest spot on tour
Hotel prices have shot up across Dublin ahead of the Oasis shows this weekend - but the capital is still the cheapest spot to catch the Live Forever hitmakers. With the Mancunian icons set to play two nights at Dublin's Croke Park on August 16 and 17, new research from Grosvenor Casinos shows that the Irish capital is the cheapest stop on the reunion tour, but fans will still be paying more than usual for a place to stay. Hotel prices in Dublin have risen by 70 per cent for the concert dates, the second-smallest increase after London, with the average room costing €413 per night, up from €243 just three weeks later. When tickets first went on sale, searches for "hotels near Croke Park" and related terms peaked at 243,600 in August 2024, reflecting the surge in demand. But it wasn't just Dublin, accommodation costs across five major cities hosting the Oasis 2025 tour have soared, with some prices rising by over 450 per cent on concert night compared to exactly three weeks later. Manchester records the most extreme price hike, with hotel costs increasing by 454 per cent, from €88 on a typical night to €488 during the tour – a total rise of €400. Interest in the area also spikes, with Google searches for "cheap hotel near Heaton Park" rising by 1,300 per cent over the past 12 months. In August, when tickets were originally released, search volume peaked at 113k across this and related terms such as "places to stay near Heaton park" and "Heaton park hotels". A general view of Oasis fans arriving at the Oasis Live '25 Tour at Wembley Stadium on July 25, 2025 in London, England (Image:) Cardiff follows closely behind, with prices surging by 420 per cent, from €131 to €682, an increase of €551, making it the most expensive city overall to stay in on concert night. Google searches for "Cardiff hotel rooms" jumped by 13,355 per cent over the past year, with fans eager to secure accommodation for the opening weekend of the tour. Related search terms for "Cardiff Oasis tickets" also rose by over 50 per cent in June compared to May, increasing from 35,100 to 53,160. Dublin sees a notable increase, with hotel costs rising from €244 to €413. This is a 70 per cent increase (€169). In August, keywords such as "hotels near Croke Park" and similar terms peaked at 243,600 searches. Liam Gallagher (L) and Noel Gallagher (R) of Oasis perform during the opening night of their Live 25' Tour at Principality Stadium on July 04, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) Edinburgh experienced an 88 per cent hotel price hike, with costs rising from €266 to €499, a difference of €233. Searches for 'hotels near Scottish Gas Murrayfield' reached 80,420 in August, aligning with the ticket launch. London sees the smallest price spike, with hotel prices rising by 22 per cent, from €501 to €611, an increase of €110. However, demand still grows, with Google searches for "hotels in Wembley Stadium area" rising by 200 per cent year-on-year. Searches peak in September at 101,980, a month after the ticket release. Tickets for the Oasis reunion sold out across all venues due to huge demand when they went online earlier in the year. However, there are still several options available for fans trying to snag a last-minute spot. Limited last-minute tickets can be bought from the official Ticketmaster resale site, where fans who can no longer go sell their seats, although these tend to go into and out of stock quickly. Elsewhere, resale sites like Viagogo, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Twickets are selling tickets for various dates, although fans should always bear in mind that many official sites, such as Ticketmaster and Live Nation, discourage the purchase of resale tickets. Meanwhile Seat Unique has some VIP tickets available offering a host of additional perks alongside access to the gig. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Gavin Fleming of the Live Forever Oasis tribute band
For his day job, Irish dad-of-two Gavin Fleming (42) is a site engineer for electrical company Davenham Switchgear. However, his passion is performing as Liam Gallagher in Live Forever.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cillian Murphy would be 'interesting' pick for James Bond, Succession star says
Actor Brian Cox has said Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy would be an "interesting" choice to play James Bond. In an interview with Radio Times, the Succession star discussed the upcoming second series of reality competition 007: Road To A Million, in which he returns as The Controller, the stern and sardonic taskmaster. The Prime Video series follows eight contestants as they are dropped into the high-stakes world of James Bond, where they take on missions that push them to the limits, testing them physically and psychologically, for the chance to win £1 million (€1.16m). Of the role of the 007 agent, Cox said: "It's only natural that it goes through changes because we start off young and end up old. "Is Cillian Murphy being recommended? I think that would be interesting. "I like Cillian. He's very real, he's got no crap about him." Brian Cox, who has said that Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy would be an 'interesting' choice to play James Bond in an interview with Radio Times, which appears in the 16-22 August 2025 issue. Issue date: Tuesday August 12, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire Amazon MGM Studios previously announced that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will write the script for the next James Bond film, which will be directed by Dune's Denis Villeneuve. Irish actor Murphy played the lead role in Knight's TV series of hard-drinking gang leader Tommy Shelby. In the interview, Cox described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "definite villain" and criticised US President Donald Trump's administration. The Scottish actor, 79, said: "There's certainly a lot of people around who I feel are villainous. "With what's happening in Ukraine, Putin is a definite villain, for my money. "I think some of the American behaviour has definitely been unthinking. "What's tragic is that America was built on the notion of egalitarianism, and the present administration don't want us to be equal." The full interview can be read in the latest edition of Radio Times magazine. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
