Oscar-winning director praises Northern Ireland film industry

Oscar-winning director Neil Jordan has praised Northern Ireland as an excellent location for international film production.
The Sligo-born film maker, who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his 1992 film 'The Crying Game', is currently in Belfast filming his latest movie, 'Breakfast On Pluto'.
On location at the recently disused Maysfield Leisure Centre, Jordan praised the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) for their investment in the production which he commented had resulted in the film being brought to the province.
“Dublin’s difficulty is Belfast’s opportunity,” Jordan said. “The South has become clogged due to over-performance, and we have found the patience in Northern Ireland refreshing. Belfast is a great place to work – a very beautiful and interesting city.
“Maysfield Leisure Centre has proved to be an excellent studio space and I look forward to returning to Belfast with future productions.”
Primarily funded by Pathe films, who will also distribute the film, Breakfast On Pluto has also been shot in a number of locations around Northern Ireland including Crumlin Road Gaol.
Budgeted at approximately £8.5 million, Breakfast On Pluto is the second film from the NIFTC’s Northern Ireland Film Production Fund to go into production and will receive £310,000 investment through the fund.
A rites of passage drama set in 1970’s Ireland and London, the film stars Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea and Cillian Murphy and is due for release next September.
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