Kings (2007 film)

Kings is a 2007 Irish film written & directed by Tom Collins and based on Jimmy Murphy's play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road.[1] The film is bilingual, having both Irish and English dialogue. It premiered at the Taormina Film Festival (Italy) in June 2007,[2] and was selected as Ireland's official entry for the 2008 Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film category.[3] The film tells the story of a group of Irish friends who, after emigrating to England 30 years previously, meet for the funeral of a friend. In 2008, the Irish postal service, An Post, issued a series of stamps honouring the Irish film industry. Colm Meaney, as Joe Mullan, was featured on the 55 cent stamp.

Kings
DVD cover
Directed byTom Collins
Produced byTom Collins
Jackie Larkin
Written byTom Collins
Based onThe Kings of the Kilburn High Road
by Jimmy Murphy
StarringColm Meaney
Donal O'Kelly
Brendan Conroy
Donncha Crowley
Music byPol Brennan
CinematographyP. J. Dillon
Edited byDermot Diskin
Distributed byHigh Point Film and Television Ltd
Release date
  • 21 September 2007 (2007-09-21)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageIrish
English

Plot

In the mid 1970s a group of young men leave the Connemara Gaeltacht, bound for London and filled with ambition for a better life. After thirty years, they meet again at the funeral of their youngest friend, Jackie. The film intersperses flashbacks of a lost youth in Ireland with the harsh realities of modern life.

For some the thirty years has been hard, working in building sites across Britain. Slowly the truth about Jackie's death become clear and the friends discover they need each other more than ever. However, by the end, the friends split up for good, going their separate ways.

Cast
Actor Role
Colm MeaneyJoe Mullan
Donal O'KellyJap Kavanagh
Brendan ConroyGit
Donncha CrowleyShay
Barry BarnesMáirtín
Seán T. Ó MeallaighJoe Jnr
Christopher GreeneJap Jnr

Awards

In 2007, Tom Collins won the Director's Guild of America / Ireland New Finders Award. The film itself was nominated for a record 14 Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) in 2008, – going on to win 5 IFTAs, including Best Irish Language Film

IFTA Awards (2008)-

Won –

  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Feature Film – Brendan Conroy
  • Best Editing – Dermot Diskin
  • Best Original Score – Pol Brennan
  • Best Sound – Ken Galvin, Ronan Hill, Dominic Weaver
  • Special Irish Language Award

Nominated –

  • Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Feature Film – Colm Meaney
  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Feature Film – Donal O'Kelly
  • Best Costume Design – Maggie Donnelly
  • Best Director of Photography – P.J. Dillon
  • Best Hair & Make-Up – Muriel Bell, Pamela Smyth
  • Best Production Design – David Craig
  • Best Director for Film – Tom Collins
  • Best Script for Film – Tom Collins
  • Best Film – Jackie Larkin, Tom Collins

References
  1. Irish Examiner – Thursday, September 27, 2007 – The film that captures lonely lives of men who built Britain Archived February 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. IFTN.ie – ‘Kings’ World Premiere at Taormina Film Festival
  3. Irish Film Board – Ireland's entry to the foreign language Oscar
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