Irish Feature Films Selected For Toronto International Film Festival

Two feature films which received funding from Northern Ireland Screen have been selected for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival which runs from 6-15 September 2007.
'Closing The Ring', which was filmed in Northern Ireland in 2006, will receive the red-carpet treatment at a Gala Screening on Friday 14 September. Oscar-winning director and producer Richard Attenborough, as well as local Belfast-based producer Jo Gilbert, will be in attendance along with several cast members.
'Kings', a bilingual Irish/English film, directed by Derry man Tom Collins, received a rapturous reception at this year's Galway Film Fleadh and wins a coveted slot in the World Cinema section with its first public screening scheduled for Wednesday 12 September. The film, the first feature to be funded through Northern Ireland Screen's Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF), was also the recent winner of the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland's Finders Series. 'Kings' will be released in Ireland on 21 September.
Colin Anderson OBE, Chairman Northern Ireland Screen said: "The inclusion of these two films in one of the world's most prestigious film festivals is fantastic news and we send our congratulations to Jo and Tom. The film and television sector has strong support in Northern Ireland - not least through the substantial investment from Invest NI - and we are consistently working to bring economic advantage to Northern Ireland, as well as continuing to support the burgeoning wealth of talent here."
(DS)