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RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Element debuts two films at Cannes to critical acclaim
Dublin and London-based production company Element Pictures premiered two directorial debuts yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival in Official Selection (Un Certain Regard) - Pillion and My Father's Shadow. Both films received strong critical praise and have been described as standout titles mid-way through the festival. Pillion, based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, tells the story of a shy man, played by Harry Melling, who is drawn into a submissive relationship with a charismatic biker, played by Alexander Skarsgård. Vanity Fair called it "a disarmingly poignant drama of discovery", while The Guardian awarded it four stars, describing it as "brilliant" and "what Fifty Shades of Grey could have been". Producer Emma Norton said: "The reception to Pillion is such a testament to Harry Lighton's wonderful warmth and intellect. There was so much laughter and emotion in the room, and we're thrilled that Pillion has been embraced by the critics and Cannes audience." My Father's Shadow, the first Nigerian film ever to premiere at Cannes, is a semi-autobiographical drama set in Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. Screen Daily described it as "a thrillingly vital account of the moment when everything changes", while Deadline called it "a moving universal story". Producer Rachel Dargavel said: "Akinoa and Wale have created a beautiful, poetic evocation of fatherhood set against political turmoil in '90s Lagos. We are also so proud to be involved with the first Nigerian film in Official Selection." Pillion is an Element Pictures production financed by BBC Film and the BFI, in association with Fremantle, Picturehouse Entertainment and September Film. It will be released by A24 in the US, Picturehouse in the UK and Ireland, and in September in Benelux. My Father's Shadow is an Element Pictures production in association with Crybaby and Fatherland Productions. It was developed and co-financed by BBC Film and the BFI. Both films will be released internationally later in 2025 and early 2026.
RTÉ News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Irish films to feature at 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Irish cinema will have a notable presence at this year's Cannes Film Festival, with Dublin-based Element Pictures returning to the Official Selection with two titles - Pillion and My Father's Shadow - while Galway-shot Learning to Breathe Under Water will feature in the Great 8 showcase for emerging talent. Taking place from 13 to 24 May, Cannes remains the most prestigious film festival in the global calendar, with a highly selective programme. The inclusion of several Irish-backed productions highlights continued international interest in work coming from Ireland. Element Pictures' Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgård and based on the novel by Adam Mars-Jones, is described as the story of a timid man who is swept into a new world when he falls under the spell of a charismatic biker. The film is financed by BBC Film and the BFI. Also in the Official Selection is My Father's Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr. Set during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, it follows a father and his estranged sons navigating Lagos during a period of political unrest. The film is a co-production with Crybaby and Fatherland Productions. In addition, Learning to Breathe Under Water has been selected for the Great 8 showcase - an industry programme that presents emerging UK and Irish films to international buyers and festival programmers. Directed by Rebekah Fortune, the Galway-made feature stars Rory Kinnear, Academy Award nominee Maria Bakalova, and newcomer Ezra Carlisle. The story centres on an imaginative eight-year-old boy who builds a world of his own to make sense of his grief and the mysteries of adult life. Element Pictures has a long-standing relationship with the Cannes Film Festival, having premiered titles such as The Wind That Shakes the Barley, which won the Palme d'Or in 2006, and more recently Kinds of Kindness, which earned Jesse Plemons the Best Actor award in 2024. This year's Cannes Film Festival will also feature a special screening of Bono: Stories of Surrender, a documentary by director Andrew Dominik focusing on the U2 frontman. The 2025 festival includes 21 films in the main competition, with the Palme d'Or to be awarded by a jury led by Juliette Binoche and including Halle Berry and Succession star Jeremy Strong.
