A scene from The Shore
Northern Ireland film The Shore is among five nominees in the Live Action Short Film category at this Sunday’s 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Shore has just gone live to download on iTunes. The film itself aims to show the new Northern Ireland. Belfast native and double Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director Terry George wrote, directed and produced the film.
Terry George is best known for being the writer behind the films Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father and The Boxer. He also wrote the screenplay for Hart’s War.
In an interesting tech twist, when The Shore was in the making, it also got some investment from the Belfast-based Lough Shore Investments.
Set up by Danny Moore in 2010, Lough Shore’s focus is typically seed to early stage investments in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, so investing in the film was a slight departure. According to Moore, a former chief operating officer of the NYSE Euronext trading technology segment, NYSE Technologies, one of the major attractions of the film was the impact it could have on ‘Brand Northern Ireland’, as it enters a new era.
Danny Morre, founder, Lough Shore Investments
“For us, The Shore afforded a very unique means through which we could showcase Northern Ireland abroad, both as a place to do business, film or otherwise, and as a rapidly expanding tourist destination,” said Moore today.
“This is Terry’s third Oscar nomination and he’s been around the industry for years. In start-up terms, he’s a serial entrepreneur with a history of success. In that sense this project had a great synergy with our mission here in Lough Shore. Our view is that if talented and accomplished people come to us with a solid plan or project we will take them seriously. Our focus is partnering with great teams to build great businesses and while The Shore isn’t your typical start-up it certainly had all the vital ingredients of one,” added Moore.
Financial boost for the movie
George also said a crucial element of getting The Shore off the ground was the financial investment made by Lough Shore Investments.
“It was a brave and innovative move for a private entity to take a chance with a short film but Lough Shore was willing to take that risk. The company’s commitment allowed us to reach the budget we knew we needed to make The Shore a professional, world class film that would showcase the beauty of Northern Ireland and the warmth of its people,” he said.
The movie The Shore
But back to the film itself. Lough Shore was produced in association with Northern Ireland Screen & Tourism Ireland. It was shot entirely on location in Coney Island, Co Down. It tells the story of ‘Jim Mahon’ on his return to Belfast with his daughter, ‘Patricia,’ after 25 years in exile having fled Belfast’s Troubles decades earlier. Ciaran Hinds of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy fame, plays the lead role.
Terry George has been nominated for two Oscars: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium in 1993 for In the Name of the Father and Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Hotel Rwanda in 2004.
