A historical film which was shot in Donegal has been picked up by LA film distribution company Cinema Epoch.
The Irish language drama Penance (Aithrí) was filmed in Ramelton, Carrigart, Golan and other parts of Donegal in 2016.
Starring Peter Coonan of Love/Hate fame, Penance is set during turbulent times between the 1916 Easter Rising and The Troubles in 1969.
Minister Joe McHugh with some of the cast of Penance during filming in Ramelton in 2016
Indie film distributor Cinema Epoch has recently acquired the rights to show Penance in the US. The movie is the first release of Cinema Epoch Classics and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
On the new acquisition, Cinema Epoch president Gregory Hatanaka told Variety.com: “We’re immensely excited about giving viewers here in the U.S. the chance to experience this powerful movie by multi-award-winning Irish director Tom Collins and hope that today’s generation will learn from the tragic historical events depicted in the film.”
Penance was directed by Tom Collins and produced by Derry-based De Facto Films and Zanzibar Films. It was funded by TG4, The Irish Film Board, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
The film also stars Barry Barnes and Gerard McSorley. The plot follows a Catholic priest (Coonan) who promotes violence against British rule in Ireland. Fifty years later, he is confronted with his past in the form of a young protege who has become a hardened IRA gunman.