Oscar-nominated director Colm Bairead has admitted he feels “pressure” to produce another hit movie after the success of An Cailín Ciúin.
Colm and his wife Cleona Ní Chrualaoí are currently in LA ahead of the Academy Awards next month, where they will find out if they have won an Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
But Colm admitted that he felt pressure choosing what to produce for his next movie.
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When asked if he felt enormous pressure for his next project to be just as good as An Cailin Ciuin, he told us: “Yeah sure. At the moment it does feel like that. A lot of people ask what is next so you do feel some pressure. I don’t know exactly which one will be next. There are a few things in development but I like to think that once I get into it, I’ll just become so focussed that all that external noise will be less palpable.”
Colm said the next project will most likely be an English language movie but based in Ireland.
“The very next one will probably be in the English language but it will be an Irish film. I do want to make it in Ireland,” he confirmed.
It comes after Colm spoke about the amazing support they’ve received from Irish stars in the run up to the Oscars.
He said a day after the nominations were announced, he got a “lovely email” from Michael Fassbender and Catriona Balfe congratulating him on the nod.
“I got a lovely email from Michael Fassbender the day after the nomination. Catriona Balfe was in touch as well. They said 'congratulations', 'amazing', 'fair play'. A lot of these people have been so helpful to us over the course of the campaign. They’ve been hosting screenings for us in LA and New York. We really feel so supported by the Irish in Hollywood as well.”
An Cailin Ciuin holds a special place personally for Colm and his wife, Cleona, who also produced the movie.
The couple are parents to two young children and said the movie means a “great deal” to them as a family.
“It’s hugely meaningful to me as somebody who was raised through the Irish language bilingually.
"My dad always spoke Irish and my mum spoke English. The Irish language has always been a part of me. I did all my schooling through Irish. Myself and my wife, Cleona, who is the producer of An Cailin Ciuin, we have two young kids. We raise them through Irish.
“So to us, it means a great deal because it’s not only our own thing but in a sense it is something we made for our own kids. It’s something we can look back on and hopefully other films will follow in our steps.
“Our kids are four and six. They are aware of the film but I think they have to grow up a little bit more before they can really engage with it.
“Having said that, whenever we’re in Tesco and we are going past the DVD aisle, our kids will point out oh 'An Cailin Ciuin'. They’re certainly aware of it.
“It’s been an incredible journey for us as a married couple. This has been an adventure that has all come through our house. The entire thing… like our office is our house. Everything literally flows through it, so it has been a beautiful thing to experience.”
An Cailin Ciuin will make its US debut on February 24.
“We’re releasing in the US on February 24 and we’ll be over way before that because the Oscars campaign will be in full swing.
“We’re trying to raise the profile of the film at all times.”
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