WHERE'S IRISH CINEMA'S POVERTY PORN?

There was a good article in last week's Guardian* newspaper. It was called Budget cuts are no problem - British film is best when it keeps it real. The gist of the article was that social realism is a cheap way to make truly great cinema. Then the writer welcomed the fact that the new British government will cause more 'poverty porn' films due to their announced budget cuts! However, across the sea here in Ireland it's more important to spend up to €90K on a state-funded short film! This outdated filmmaking model has stopped directors from tackling contemporary issues. Because when you're caught up in making a large budget short you want to make large budget feature films. This means 'pulling out the stops' and producing something so overcooked it resembles a glossy TV movie. Social realist films are the opposite. They involve mundane locations such as parks and cafés, the cinematography is usually flat, and there's subdued music on the soundtrack. All this is a big no no for most Irish directors. Most filmmakers here are overtrained, technically obsessed, and have nothing to say. They are afraid to tackle reality and are more interested in making an Irish version of a Hollywood genre movie. Even though we're in recession and everyone has a story for Joe Duffy most Irish filmmakers are just too middle-class to make films about real people. The only recent Irish examples in this genre (Foxes and Pavee Lackeen) were both directed by foreigners.
*28-6-2010