Kings (film)
Encyclopedia
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
. The film is bilingual, having both Irish
and English
dialogues. It was premièred at the Taormina Film Festival (Italy) in June 2006, and was selected as Ireland's official entry for the 2008 Academy Awards
in the best foreign-language film
category. 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.
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.
(IFTAs) in 2008, - going on to win 5 IFTAs, including Best Irish Language Film.
IFTA Awards (2008)-
Won -
Nominated -
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
Irish film written & directed by Tom Collins
Tommy Collins
Tommy Collins, sometimes referred to as Tom Collins M.A., Dublin City University, is an Irish filmmaker.- Biography :Born in County Donegal, he moved as a child to nearby Derry, Northern Ireland...
and based on Jimmy Murphy
Jimmy Murphy (playwright)
Jimmy Murphy is an Irish playwright living in Dublin.He is a former writer in residence at NUI Maynooth , a member of the Abbey Theatre’s Advisory Council and a recipient of three Bursaries in literature from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. He is a member of Aosdána.Murphy was born to Irish...
's play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road
The Kings of the Kilburn High Road
The Kings of the Kilburn High Road is a play by Irish playwright Jimmy Murphy first produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company at the Garter Lane Theatre Waterford Ireland in 2000. The first American production was staged by the Rochester Community Players of Rochester, New York, in April 2005...
. The film is bilingual, having both Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dialogues. It was premièred at the Taormina Film Festival (Italy) in June 2006, and was selected as Ireland's official entry for the 2008 Academy Awards
2008 Academy Awards
2008 Academy Awards may refer to:* 80th Academy Awards, the Academy Awards ceremony which took place in 2008* 81st Academy Awards, the 2009 ceremony honoring the best in film for 2008...
in the best foreign-language film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
category. The film tells the story of a group of Irish friends who, after emigrating to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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.
Plot
In the mid 1970s a group of young men leave the ConnemaraConnemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
, bound for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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 Meaney Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons... |
Joe Mullan |
| Donal O'Kelly | Jap Kavanagh |
| Brendan Conroy | Git |
| Donncha Crowley | Shay |
| Barry Barnes | Máirtín |
| Seán T. Ó Meallaigh | Joe Jnr |
| Christopher Greene | Jap 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 AwardsIrish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
(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 BrennanPól BrennanPól Brennan is an Irish singer, songwriter and producer. He is the brother of Enya and Moya Brennan. He is a member of the family band Clannad, and co-wrote the hit song "Theme from Harry's Game". He left the group in 1990, but rejoined in 2011...
- Best Sound - Ken Galvin, Ronan Hill, Dominic Weaver
- Special Irish Language Award
Nominated -
- Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Feature Film - Colm MeaneyColm MeaneyColm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
- 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 CollinsTommy CollinsTommy Collins, sometimes referred to as Tom Collins M.A., Dublin City University, is an Irish filmmaker.- Biography :Born in County Donegal, he moved as a child to nearby Derry, Northern Ireland...
- Best Script for Film - Tom CollinsTommy CollinsTommy Collins, sometimes referred to as Tom Collins M.A., Dublin City University, is an Irish filmmaker.- Biography :Born in County Donegal, he moved as a child to nearby Derry, Northern Ireland...
- Best Film - Jackie Larkin, Tom CollinsTommy CollinsTommy Collins, sometimes referred to as Tom Collins M.A., Dublin City University, is an Irish filmmaker.- Biography :Born in County Donegal, he moved as a child to nearby Derry, Northern Ireland...