CinÉireann January 2018 | Page 82

Director Ivan Kavanagh's latest film , Never Grow Old, is a western set in the harsh American frontier landscape of 1849 written by Kavanagh himself.

Irish immigrant Patrick lives with his Swedish wife Ingrid and their daughter Emma in a remote frontier town on the Gold Rush route to California. A skilled carpenter, coffin maker and undertaker he struggles to make a living. It’s a tough life, but a peaceful and happy one. Patrick though, can’t help thinking of following the prospectors to California to make his fortune. One night a gang of outlaws comes to town. The Sheriff is too weak to confront them and they quickly take over, bringing death and destruction to the isolated community. As the body count rises, Patrick’s undertaking business booms and the gangsters treat him like a friend. Ingrid rejects this newfound prosperity though, as the proceeds of evil. She wants to leave town. Patrick, while uneasy, feels compelled to make as much money as he can before leaving. As long as the violence remains at a safe distance from his family he can justify what he is doing. But it is only a matter of time before his own life too, is torn apart by the killers.

The film stars Hollywood icons John Cusack and Emile Hirsch, alongside Déborah François (L'enfant) and Antonia Campbell-Hughes (The Canal). Director of photography is Piers McGrail (Without Name), with production design by John Leslie (Bad Day for the Cut), costume design by Jackye Fauconnier (Evolution), and editing by Bernard Beets (The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears).

Never Grow Old  is produced by Jacqueline Kerrin, Marie-Claire Kerrin and Dominic Wright for Irish-based Ripple World Pictures, alongside Italian producers Interlinea Films, Germany's Heimatfilm, and Luxembourg's Iris Productions. The film is being developed with the assistance of the Irish

Film Board

and MEDIA.

82 CinÉireann / January 2018

NEVER GROW OLD

DIR: IVAN KAVANAGH

PRO: RIPPLE WORLD PICTURES

TBC