2011 Bandit Films
Leitrim film for TG4
Filming has concluded on Homeland – The Stories of Emigrants and Immigrants, a 51min doco for County Leitrim PEACE III Partnership and TG4, the national Irish-language broadcaster.
The 50 minute documentary funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union's European Regional Development Fund managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Leitrim County Council on behalf of County Leitrim Peace III Partnership will capture the experience of Leitrim people who have emigrated and returned to settle in Leitrim as well as people who have migrated to live in the county in recent decades from different countries.
With one fifth of the population it had before the Famine County Leitrim is the Irish county with the most extreme experience of migration nationally. According to director Johnny Gogan “when you look into the story of migration in Leitrim you find a very rich story which is much more than just a snapshot of the country as a whole”.
As an internal migrant himself – Gogan moved himself and his company to Leitrim from Dublin in 1997 – he believes the film will challenge the varied perceptions Irish people may have of the county. “On the other hand Leitrim people will be surprised to see the diversity of stories we have uncovered from under their noses: humorous stories, stories of real courage and national impact. With emigration back on the national agenda, this is a timely documentary for an Irish an audience to see”.
Editing has advanced on Homeland for completion and delivery in late April. The project has involved the close collaboration of fellow Dromahair company Sleeping Warrior Productions. Research for the film has been carried out by Sleeping Warrior's Jim King and editing will be by Patrick O'Rourke. Padraig Meehan provides the soundtrack with an original track from the Dromahair song writing team Glenn Garrett and Kieran Gorman.
Na Coisithe, the documentary profile of Liam S. Gogan received its broadcast premier on TG4 April 7th Gógan in the Anamnocht/The Naked Soul Series .
Financing and Casting are advancing for an Autumn shoot of The Straits/Le Detroit, a feature film to be shot in Andalusia and Morocco. From a script by Johnny Gogan and Joe O'Byrne, The Straits will be directed by Johnny as his third feature film. The film is being lead-produced by Bandit Films with Cinetévé (Paris) and Visa Versa (UK). Maurice Bénichou (Hidden/Caché) is cast in the lead
Shooting has just concluded on a new Irish-language online poetry project, directed by Prin Duignan, Bandit's latest collaboration with Sleeping Warrior Productions. Featured artists are the singers John Spillane and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and the poets Louis de Paor (who also features in Bandit's Na Coisithe doco), Nuala Ní Dhomhnall and Cathal ÓSearcaigh. The Irish Poetry TV web-site is due for launch in late March.
The Adventures of Flannery, the feature-length documentary portrait of singer-song-writer Cathal Coughlan is now available on Vimeo Here
Brían F. O'Byrne, the star of Johnny's two previous feature films The Last Bus Home and Mapmaker has been getting great reviews for his lead appearance in the US TV Drama series Flash Forward
The Scaffolder Falls, Johnny's collaboration with animators Brian McGowan and Patrick O'Rourke (Sleeping Warrior Productions) gets its next outing at the new Lightbox Festival of animation in Sligo 19-20th June. Available to watch on Vimeo Here
Johnny's debut novel Ghost Writers has been succesfully launched with readings in Dublin and Leitrim and further readings to come in Belfast and Galway. The book is available from selected book shops in Ireland.
The Last Bus Home
The Last Bus Home, Bandit Films 1997 debut feature is now available for download in Ireland and in Germany at Volotov
Mapmaker
Mapmaker, the 2001 feature follow-up to Last Bus is now available on DVD in English and in Castellano (El Cartografo) and has recently been making repeat screenings on SKY’s Movies for Men (before the 11pm water-shed!)
Na Coisithe
The documentary Na Coisithe has been broadcast on TG4 and can be watched online hereRead
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Ghost Writers
"Poets, piss-artists, lovers, worriers; Dreamers, Lefties, witches, gurriers - Johnny Gogan's canvas is the counter-cultural Dublin of the pre-boom era, a city half-emptied by emigration, and dying of corruption. Anyone who came of age in that long-gone town will give a bitter-sweet smile of recognition." Joseph O'Connor
.Johnny's debut novel hits the shelves on March 2nd. Irish distribution is by Argosy Books Read extract