CRY FROM THE SEA

A FILM BY VIC SARIN THE STORY

In the aftermath of World War One and the Irish Civil War, Seamus Óg Mac Grianna leads a solitary life, tending to a lighthouse on a picturesque island of Ireland’s coast, whose rocky, sea-battered shores mirror the turmoil inside him. Each morning, Seamus rows out to the spot where his son drowned a decade earlier and visits a graveyard next to the lighthouse. Each night he drinks alone in the pub. His only company is Maire, a spinster who sees to his every need and quietly longs for him.

But Seamus is forced out of his routine of isolation when he fnds himself at war with the island’s new priest, who insists Seamus’s late wife should be buried in the consecrated ground of the church cemetery, rather than a private plot next to the lighthouse. As Seamus struggles against pressure from the villagers, he fnds an unexpected ally in Edith, a visiting American war widow whose husband died in the very wreck Seamus’s son was searching for when he drowned.

Edith and Seamus bond over their shared grief, much to Maire’s displeasure. As this complicated new relationship gives rise to forgotten feelings and the priest’s eforts to reinter his wife push him to a breaking point, Seamus must leave behind the comfortable sadness of his life and face the risks that come with openness, hope and change. To let his love for the family he lost not lock him inside himself, but radiate outward. To honour their memory by living the fullest life he can. STATEMENTDIRECTOR

What drew me to Cry From The Sea was its honest humanity and elegant approach to storytelling. It’s a story about how we hide from others and from ourselves. Though it takes place in a time of black-and-white morality, the script makes it feel entirely contemporary by showing the nuances that exist under the surface. It reveals its characters slowly, layer by layer, and we come to feel their emotions so keenly.

With its long ragged coastline, vibrant colours, raging waves and a sky full of feeling, coastal Ireland is a perfect cinematic canvas. I will use this gorgeous backdrop to demonstrate the intense emotions the characters keep hidden and bring to life the flm’s central paradox – a lighthouse that guides ships to safety, whose keeper needs that beacon most of all. A rescuer who is himself drowning.

Ultimately it is the characters that linger in my mind. Maire, unfinchingly loyal to Seamus, who at times seems like a doormat, but is in fact the strongest character of all. Edith, open and optimistic and a fascinating catalyst to inspire action in the other characters. And Seamus most of all, a man of principle, whose stubborn commitment to honouring his family is admirable even if we desperately hope he fnds a way to move on.

I feel that Cry From the Sea is ultimately a hopeful story. It shows us that there is life after loss and a way through any tragedy. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder of how people can fnd the light in each other – the means to carry on – that we can’t always see within ourselves.

– Vic Sarin COMPARABLESCINEMATIC

Brooklyn Budget: 11 million Box Ofce: 62.1 million

Maudie Budget: 5.6 million Box Ofce: 9.7 million

Kings Speech Budget: 15 million Box Ofce: 414.2 milllion

Philomena Budget: 12 million Box Ofce: 100.1 million

Manchester by the Sea Budget: 8.5 million Box Ofce: 77.8 million PRODUCERSSEPIA FILMS

Kim Roberts and Tina Pehme formed Sepia Films and Honalee Entertainment in 2003, with a mandate to make flms that would engage and entertain audiences the world over. Together they have produced a diverse slate of feature flms, including the recent Anthem of a Teenage Prohphet (2018), starring Cameron Monaghan, Peyton List and Juliette Lewis; The Games Maker (2015), a 3D visual extravaganza starring Joseph Fiennes and David Mazouz that debuted at Sundance; In Their Skin (2012), a thriller starring Selma Blair and James D’Arcy which premiered at Tribeca; the awardwinning A Shine of Rainbows (2010) starring Aidan Quinn and Connie Nielson which debuted at the TIFF; Partition (2007), an epic romance shot in India, starring Jimi Mistry, Kristin Kreuk, Neve Campbell, and Irfan Khan; Civic Duty (2006) which also debuted at Tribeca; and theatrical documentaries such as Keepers of the Magic (2017), The Boy from Geita (2016), which was chosen as a special presentation at the United Nations. Roberts and Pehme’s flms have been distributed and sold by Walt Disney Pictures, eOne, 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal, Net- fix, Sundance Selects, HBO, Warner Home Video and many more. Pehme and Roberts also run a robust television division under their Honalee Entertainment banner. Specializing in international co-productions, Pehme and Roberts have built relationships around the world and screened their flms dozens of international festivals. They have produced and shot flms in Canada, US, Ireland, England, Italy, Denmark, India, China, South Africa, Africa, Argentina and Brazil. With an exciting slate of new projects on the horizon, Pehme and Roberts continue to explore new ways of working with like-minded partners bringing powerful, thought-provoking and entertaining stories to screens big and small.

Tina Pehme Kim Roberts PRODUCERSSHINAWIL Mary Callery joined ShinAwil as Head of International/Executive Producer in April 2017. Previously, she was Project Manager at The Irish Film Board where she served as Executive Producer across a range of feature flms and documentaries including Oscar nominated Song of the Sea (Dir. Thom Moore); Sing Street (Dir. John Carney) and The Queen of Ireland (Dir. Conor Horgan). Prior to joining the IFB Mary was Head of Production & Development and Executive Producer at Parallel Films where credits include several flms for Syfy (US), Crown TV (US), Ruth Rundell’s Thirteen Steps Down for ITV. The Clinic for RTÉ and feature flms including A Film With Me In It and The Food Guide to Love. She has been a member of the Programme Bureau of the European Broadcasting Union Fiction Group; the Advisory Panel for Fás/Screen Training Ireland and ajury mem- ber for numerous awards organisations. She is currently member of the Board of Screen Producers Ireland.

Aaron Farrell is Head of Drama for Shinawil Productions. He is responsible for building a distinctive slate of projects with strong critical and commercial appeal, and getting these projects fnanced and on the screen. Recently he was an executive producer on The Cured, David Freyne’s debut feature starring Ellen Page, which was released in theatres earlier this year. He has also co-produced Calvary, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, Oscar nominee Juanita Wilson’s 2017 release Tomato Red, and Cherrybomb starring Rupert Grint. Previously he was a Production Executive on four seasons of Michael Hirst’s Vikings, and two seasons of Neil Jordan’s The Borgias.

Larry Bass is the founder and CEO of ShinAwil, one of Ireland’s most prominent production companies. He has Executive Pro- duced Irish versions of the award winning series’, The Apprenticethat won 2 Irish Film and Television Awards, Dragon’s Den, Masterchef Ireland, The Voice of Ireland most recently the hugely successful Dancing with the Stars, Ireland. Other recent productions include What Are You Eating?, Meet the McDonaghs and Tested on Humans. In 2000, Larry was elected to the national Executive of Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), serving as deputy chairman from January 2003 to February 2004, and as Chairman from February 2004 to February 2005. He was re-elected to the board in 2015. He has also served on juries for the International Emmys, Rose d’Or, BANFF and Real Screen Television Awards.

The ShinAwiL team is currently in development on original series’ for the Irish, UK and USA market, both scripted and non-script- ed.

Mary Callery Aaron Farrell Larry Bass DIRECTOR VIC SARIN

A passionate and diverse flmmaker, Vic Sarin’s distinguished career includes award-winning fea- ture flms, theatrical documentaries and television movies. Vic is known for his unique storytell- ing ability that seamlessly weaves together the emotional and visual aspects of a flm. Sarin has worked on over 100 flms internationally as a director and cinematographer. As a director, Vic has won international recognition for flms such as the features A Shine of Rainbows, Partition and Cold Comfort the former two which he also wrote, DP’d and directed. He won an Emmy for his acclaimed documentary series Millenium: Tribal Wisdom and The Modern World and has thrice received Emmy nominations for his celebrated television movies: As a director Sarin was most recently honoured with the 2018 Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award for his unique artistic vision.

Sarin continues to contribute as Director of Photography for many of the flms he directs. With more than thirty years experience as a DP, Vic has received numerous accolades including the prestigious Kodak Lifetime Achievement Award for having created some of cinema’s most moving and memorable images. His celebrated work on feature flms such as Margaret’s Mu- seum, Whale Music and Bye Bye Blues earned him world renown as one of Canada’s premier cinematographers.

Vic Sarin was born in Kashmir and spent his teenage years in Australia where his father owned a movie theatre. It was there where his love for the cinema was born. Vic originally wanted to pur- sue a career as an actor but felt his accented English could stand in his way. Knowing his son’s passion for movies, his father fortuitously gave Vic a 16-mm camera for his 16th birthday and Vic found his niche. As he tells it “I fell in love with the visual side of storytelling, because movies transcend all barriers, pictures and are understood in every language. I felt that as a storyteller, it was through images that I could create something unique that would touch people and move the heart or provoke a thought.” Sarin recently paid tribute to the power of the visual image in his documentary Keepers of the Magic.

Though unique in character and setting, Sarin’s flms share a common thread – the exploration of the human need for connection and acceptance played out on a rich visual canvas.

Sarin’s career has been captured in the recently published biography Eyepiece. SCREENWRITER CIARAN CREAGH

Ciaran Creagh is a screenwriter and director whose credits include In View (2016), a feature he wrote and directed. The flm won Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and Cre- agh was nominated for the Grand Newcomer Award at the Mann- heim Heidelberg Film Festival.

Creagh also wrote Parked (2011), starring Colm Meaney. Parked was nominated in four categories at the 2011 Irish Film and Television Awards and won Best First Feature at the Galway Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the 2012 Foggia Film Festival.

Creagh also wrote and directed the 2013 short The Note, starring Aidan Gillen and Ruth McCabe, and plays including Homefront which premiered at Andrews Lane in November 2003 and earned him selection into the writer development program at the Abbey Theatre. CONTACT

Sepia Films: tina@ sepiaflms.com [email protected] Tel: 604.215.7484

ShinAwil: [email protected] [email protected] Tel: +353 01 2698624