The Back of Beyond

Director's Statement

Born in Northern Ireland in 1985, Michael recently graduated in Directing at the National Film and Television School in London. He has directed several shorts which have screened at many international film festivals and has recently won Best Short Film at the Royal Society of Film and Television Awards. How long did it take to make your short? It took three cold, fresh, Irish winter’s nights to make the short. It was shot on a micro budget with the help of Northern Ireland screen and the National Film School. Which thoughts come to mind concerning a "European cinema community"? A community that loves cinema in all its forms from all over the globe. If you owned a theatre for one night, which films would you screen? That's a tough one. I reckon we could squeeze all these films in one night – no breaks: Sidney Lumet’s 12 ANGRY MEN, Robert Zemeckis’ BACK TO THE FUTURE, Terrence Malick’s BADLANDS, Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS and Ridley Scott’s BLADERUNNER. What is your next project? My next project is a feature film I'm developing with Northern Ireland Screen. It's a feature version of BACK OF BEYOND, a chance to make the story even bigger and bolder.