CinÉireann January 2018 | Page 86

Unless, which is written and directed by Alan Gilsenan, is based on the award-winning and final novel from Canadian author Carol Shields. It follows a successful writer struggling to come to terms with her daughter’s decision to withdraw from the world and start pan-handling on a street corner.

Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener is in the leading role, alongside Matt Craven, Brendan Coyle, Hannah Gross, Chloe Rose, Abigail Winter, Martha Henry, and Hanna Schygulla. Gilsenan is best known for biographies The Yellow Bittern and Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay.

Unless  is a Canada-Ireland co-production, produced by Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny of Sienna Films and Tristan Orpen Lynch and Aoife O’Sullivan of Dublin-based Subotica.

Multiple IFTA award-winning editor Emer Reynolds oversaw post-production, with Celiana Cardenas as cinematographer, production design from Tim Bider, and music from Jonathan Goldsmith.

The film is financed with the financial participation of the Irish Film Board, Telefilm Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Mongrel Media, Premiere Fund and Windmill Lane Pictures, with development funding by Super Channel.

Unless premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016 and played at the 2017 Audi Dublin International Film Festival.

86 CinÉireann / January 2018

DIR: ALAN GILSENAN

PRO: SUBOTICA

UNLESS

Marc