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IFTA host ‘Handsome Devil’ screening and Q&A with Writer/Director John Butler
13 Dec 2016 : Katie McNeice
Robert Walpole, Rebecca O'Flanagan, John Butler, Nick Galitzine and Moe Dunford
The much-anticipated Irish feature which recently picked up the Audience Award at the Montreal-based LGBT film festival Image+Nation enjoyed its first screening in front of an Irish audience yesterday evening at the Savoy Cinema, Dublin.

The Irish Film & Television Academy hosted the first-look screening for its members, followed by a Q&A with John Butler and Donald Clarke of the Irish Times.

Cast members Moe Dunford (Vikings), Amy Huberman (Striking Out) and lead actor Nicholas Galitzine (High Strung) were present for the screening, in addition to Executive Producer Rory Gilmartin, Cinematographer Cathal Watters (Viva) and Treasure Entertainment team Robert Walpole and Rebecca O'Flanagan.

Actors Domnhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), Clelia Murphy (Fair City) and Eva Birthistle (Swansong) were also in attendance, as were directors Terry McMahon (Patrick’s Day) and Ken Wardrop (Mom and Me) and producer Katie Holly (Love & Friendship).

Andrew Scott (Sherlock) also stars in the drama as the nurturing English teacher who encourages the young pair Conor (Galitzine) and Ned, played by Fionn O’Shea (The Siege of Jadotville), to defy the conformity of their rugby-loving boarding school.

This pits him against team coach Pascal, portrayed by Dunford, whose somewhat villainous character is made lovable by a well-struck balance of drama and comedy in Butler’s script.

Butler spoke to the audience about the amalgamation of memory and fiction in the boarding school drama, which deals with bullying, gender conformity and sexual identity. He talked through the difficulty of embodying both his sexual identity and fondness of sport as a schoolboy, touching on the lack of openly gay sports players which still prevails today.

In addition he commended the cast of ‘Handsome Devil’, particularly Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galitzine, whose preparation for the roles shows on screen, in a coming-of-age drama which he hopes can work toward re-writing the comedy genre to include LGBT characters young audiences can identify with.

John Butler, Writer/Director:
“As a forty-something year old guy living in a metropolitan area and working in the arts I think it is very easy to see one’s own position and apply it incorrectly to young people. I think the battle is still being fought by every LGBT kid in the world; the world is a better place but it is not a great place and it is dis-improving I would imagine, in light of recent events…There’s still no out premiership rugby player, there’s no out premiership soccer placer which is insane and highly disproportionate. Those are not imagined barriers these people are facing.”

‘Handsome Devil’ is produced by Treasure Entertainment and will release to Irish cinemas in 2017.

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