Tim Mielants‘ ‘Small Things Like These,’ starring Cillian Murphy, is scheduled for its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which will take place between February 15 and 25, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.
The film, directed by Mielants from a screenplay by Enda Walsh, is based on the 2021 novel “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan. Starring Murphy (who also serves as a producer), along with Ciaran Hinds, Emily Watson, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, and Clare Dunne.
According to the film’s plot:
Set in the 1980s, Small Things Like These follows Bill Furlong (Murphy), coal seller in a small Irish town who makes a discovery which forces him to reckon with the ways in which his hometown is controlled by the church. After happening across a woman left imprisoned in a coal shed as part of her incarceration in the town’s Laundry, the protagonist, Bill Furlong, has to decide whether his moral compass is strong enough to rock the boat and risk his own family’s safety in pursuit of what’s right.
The film was produced by Murphy and Alan Moloney through their company Big Things Films, along with Catherine Magee. Matt Damon and Drew Vinton also serve as producers, with executive producers Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, and Michael Joe for Artists Equity. FilmNation Entertainment is responsible for international sales. The film was financed by Artists Equity and Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann and co-produced in Belgium by Wilder Content.
In a statement, Berlinale’s Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian said, “With Small Things Like These, Tim Mielants tells the story of a man of few words, with wide open eyes, as clear as the skies of Ireland. In The Quiet Girl, we already had a sense of Claire Keegan’s skill in portraying small, apparently simple characters and making them unforgettable; here, her delicate, rich, and yet down-to-earth writing finds a great interpreter in Cillian Murphy. We are confident that this story, which allies kindness to be directed to the more fragile and the willpower to stand up against injustice, will resonate with everyone. We are looking forward to launching this ‘quiet’ yet quite exceptional film at the start of Zeitgeist Irland 24, a year-long celebration of Irish culture in Germany.”
‘Small Things Like These’ will premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 15, 2024.
