We’re in the thick of the awards season, and it’s always an exciting time, not just for the prestige pictures from Hollywood, but from the unique selections from around the world that enter the race. Ireland has chosen “Song Of Granite” to represent the country this year, and the evocative portrait of legendary Irish folksinger Joe Heaney will certainly leave an impression.
Directed by Pat Collins, with Colm Seoighe in the lead role, the film traces Heaney’s journey, which took him from rural Connemara through Glasgow and eventually to New York City, as his music and voice gained admiration and acclaim around the world. Here’s the official synopsis:
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Enigmatic and complex, Joe Heaney was one of the greats of traditional Irish singing (sean nós). Shaped by the myths, fables, and songs of his upbringing in the west of Ireland, his emergence as a gifted artist came at a personal cost. Featuring performances from Colm Seoighe, Macdara Ó Fátharta, Jaren Cerf, Lisa O’Neill, Damien Dempsey, and sean nós singers Mícheál Ó Chonfhaola and Pól Ó Ceannabháin, and beautiful black and white cinematography, SONG OF GRANITE is a distinct portrait of Heaney’s life and a marvelous exploration of music and song.
“Song Of Granite” opens on Wednesday, November 15th at Film Forum in New York, and on Friday, December 8th, at the Monica Film Center in Los Angeles via Oscilloscope Laboratories.
