Writer-director Stephen Fingleton has begun principal shooting on his debut feature film, a dystopian thriller called ‘The Survivalist’. The shoot began on June 9th. Fingleton previously wrote and directed the short ‘Magpie’ and the award-winning short ‘S.L.R.’, starring Liam Cunningham and Richard Dormer.
Fingleton developed the script for ‘The Survivalist’ through Northern Ireland Screen’s New Talent Focus scheme. The story is set in the dystopian future of Britain in 2023 when the grid has come down and humanity is starving. The population is under 7 million. A loner in a forest meets a woman and her teenage daughter, and they must work together to survive.
The film stars Irish actors Barry Ward, star of ‘Jimmy’s Hall’ (IFTN interviewed the actor), and Martin McCann, whose credits include ‘Jump’, ‘Titanic: Blood and Steel’, ‘’71’ and ‘My Boy Jack’. Andrew Simpson (‘Good Vibrations’) from Derry, Olwen Fouere (‘This Must be the Place’, ‘The Other Side of Sleep’) and Mia Goth (‘Nymphomaniac’) also make up the cast.
Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robert Jones and David Gilbery are producers for ‘The Survivalist’, which acts as a follow-up to Fingleton’s short ‘Magpie’, produced earlier this year with the support of Northern Ireland Screen and the BFI. Both the short, which also stars McCann and Goth, and the feature film are Fyzz Facility productions.
Stephen Fingleton comments on how delighted he is to be shooting his first feature: “‘The Survivalist’ is a very special project to me, and my producers Wayne and Robert have given me the opportunity to make it with the right team, right cast in particular. I am thrilled to introduce a wider audience to the work of Martin McCann in a role worthy of his extraordinary talent.”
Andrew Reid, Northern Ireland Screen’s Head of Production, has stated: “We are delighted to welcome Stephen home to Northern Ireland to shoot his first feature film using a host of indigenous talent both in front of and behind the cameras. We have been long-standing supporters of Stephen; he received the Bill Miskelly Award in 2007, this grant supported his MA in Screenwriting. We supported his recent short film ‘Magpie’ and ‘The Survivalist’ was developed through Northern Ireland Screen’s New Talent Focus scheme. By partnering with Wayne and Robert at The Fyzz Facility we can show the world what this exciting new filmmaker has to offer.”
See the short ‘Magpie’, which acts as an introduction to the world of ‘The Survivalist’, below:
