Black 47

Ireland, 1847. After fighting for the British crown in the war in Afghanistan, Martin Feeney returns to his Irish homeland as a deserter. He finds his country in dire straits. Potato blight has destroyed the crops and over a million people have perished in the resulting famine. Martin's family has also been affected: his mother is among the victims and his brother has been sentenced to death by the British occupying forces. Martin's plan to emigrate to the USA with his sister-in-law and her children fails, and witnessing his last remaining relatives wasting away almost robs him of the will to live. In desperation, he begins a bloody vendetta across the social and political hierarchy of Ireland. To stop this wrathful avenger, the British hire Hannah who fought with Martin in Afghanistan.
Lance Daly draws on motifs from the western for his drama about a dark chapter of British colonialism in neighbouring Ireland that has rarely been told on the big screen. The gritty realism of the film’s photography conveys the misery of a suffering people and describes individuals cast adrift in austere landscapes.
by Lance Daly
with Hugo Weaving, James Frecheville, Stephen Rea, Freddie Fox, Barry Keoghan, Moe Dunford, Sarah Greene, Jim Broadbent
Ireland / Luxembourg 2018 English 100’ Colour

With

  • Hugo Weaving (Hannah)
  • James Frecheville (Feeney)
  • Stephen Rea (Conneely)
  • Freddie Fox (Pope)
  • Barry Keoghan (Hobson)
  • Moe Dunford (Fitzgibbon)
  • Sarah Greene (Ellie)
  • Jim Broadbent (Lord Kilmichael)

Crew

Director Lance Daly
Screenplay PJ Dillon, Pierce Ryan, Eugene O’Brien, Lance Daly
Cinematography Declan Quinn
Editing John Walters, Julian Ulrichs
Music Brian Byrne
Sound Robert Flanagan, Loïc Collignon, Ingo Dumlich, Mike Butcher, Fionan Higgins
Production Design Waldemar Kalinowski
Costumes Magdalena Labuz
Make-Up Liz Byrne
Assistant Director Ray Kenny
Casting Daniel Hubbard
Production Manager Jo Homewood
Producers Macdara Kelleher, Tim O'Hair, Arcadiy Golubovich, Jonathan Loughran
Co-Producers Jani Thiltges, Martin Metz
Co-Production Samsa Films Luxemburg
UMedia Brüssel

World sales

Altitude Film Sales

Produced by

Fastnet Films

Lance Daly

Born in Dublin, Ireland, this filmmaker initially studied architectural design and was granted a research fellowship in forensic sciences. He served as apprentice to film archivist Flora Agar at the now closed Centre for Cultural Preservation. Between films, he plays percussion with the Twelve Spoon Ensemble. He divides his time between Dublin and San Francisco.

Filmography

2001 Last Days in Dublin 2004 The Halo Effect 2008 Kisses 2011 The Good Doctor 2013 Life's a Breeze (Das Leben ist ein Kinderspiel) 2018 Black 47

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2018