BERLIN (AFP) – Oscar-nominated director Cillian Murphy opened the Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday by announcing that his latest film will be set in a notorious laundry facility that has been used for decades as a camp for “fallen” young women. He said the aim was to address Ireland’s “collective trauma” over the
Publication date: 15/02/2024 – 03:45 Modification date: 15/02/2024 – 16:56
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“Small Things Like These,” based on Claire Keegan’s best-selling novel and starring Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”) and Emily Watson (“Chernobyl”), is in contention for the festival’s Golden Bear Award at 20 This is one of the works. .
After the press conference, Murphy told reporters that detailing crimes against women that took place inside institutions run by the Roman Catholic Church is critical in a society that has yet to fully acknowledge the scandal. Told.
“I think it was a collective trauma, especially for people of a certain age. And I think we’re still processing it,” said the actress, nominated for an Academy Award next month for her role in the biopic. Murphy said. Oppenheimer.”
Murphy plays a devoted father of five daughters who uncovers a shocking secret about his town’s convent, connected to one of the Magdalene laundries.
“A balm that heals those wounds.”
The actor, who also produced the film with his Oppenheimer co-star Matt Damon, said the “irony” of his character is that of “a Christian trying to do Christian things in a dysfunctional Christian society. He said he was a “man.”
“This work raises a lot of questions about complicity, silence and shame,” he added, adding that he believes the book and film, set in the 1980s, could “really help heal that wound.” said.
“Maybe it’s easier to understand than an academic report or a government report,” says Belgian filmmaker Tim Mirants, director of the hit series “Peaky Blinders,” who worked on the project. said Murphy, who was reunited with him.
Kenyan-Mexican actor Lupita Nyong’o will serve as the first black jury president at this year’s 74th edition of the event known as the Berlinale © John MACDOUGALL / AFP
He acknowledged that the character of a coal merchant who tries to help a pregnant prisoner in a convent “could be the main character,” but insisted that “it’s a movie about women.”
In a world full of superhero blockbusters, Damon’s film, executive produced by frequent co-star Ben Affleck, takes place in the 1990s when they became stars in Good Will Hunting. He said it was reminiscent of the human-scale filmmaking of .
“We’re asking audiences to care about movies, and we believe there are still enough audiences in the world who care about movies,” Damon said. “It’s always changing, but we believe it’s not dead.”
Most of the residents of the Magdalene Laundry were ostracized “degenerate women” who became pregnant out of wedlock. Others included rape victims, orphans, prostitutes and the disabled.
They worked without pay even though the religious order operated the laundromat as a commercial business. From the 1920s to the 1990s, more than 10,000 women were forced to work in the field.
Irish authorities released a 1,000-page report on laundromats in 2013, and then-Prime Minister Enda Kenny apologized to victims and laundromat owners.
Scorsese Lifetime Award
Berlin’s 11-day film showcase is the most political of Europe’s three major film festivals and serves as an important launching pad for films from around the world.
New films from A-list stars such as Kristen Stewart, Adam Sandler, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rooney Mara and Isabelle Huppert will be screened.
Director Martin Scorsese, who was nominated for a record 10th Oscar for Best Director for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” will receive an honorary Golden Bear award for lifetime achievement in Berlin.
Kenyan-Mexican actor Lupita Nyong’o is the first black jury president at this year’s 74th annual Berlinale.
Nyong’o said she was looking forward to a challenging festival, as the plight of women in Iran, the war in Gaza and the resurgence of far-right groups could spark debate and protests during the event.
Director Martin Scorsese will receive the honorary Golden Bear Award for lifetime achievement in Berlin © Valerie MACON / AFP
“I think what we came here to do is see how artists are responding to the world we’re living in right now,” she told reporters. “I’m interested in how they make it.”
© 2024 AFP
