Poor Things producer calls for more Irish stories

A Dublin-born producer of the Oscar-winning film Poor Things believes the island of Ireland should focus on making its "own productions".

Ed Guiney, of Element Pictures, said Northern Ireland and the Republic have a lot to offer the world of TV and cinema.

He told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster, he said it might sound clichéd but "we are an island of storytellers".

He was speaking after Poor Things won four Oscars on Sunday.

Mr Guiney said films from north and south of Ireland have had incredible success over the past couple of years.

As well as the darkly comic Poor Things, his Dublin-based production company has been involved in films including Omagh, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Room, The Favourite and The Guard.

"I think now is how we build on the success - obviously An Irish Goodbye and all the other Irish nominees last year is incredible - I think it's about building on our capacity around screenwriting and developing our own stories for film and television," he said.

"I think it's really important for both sides of the border that we don't rely too much on incoming things and that we're actually making things locally - which is why I think Northern Ireland with Irish Goodbye and Blue Lights and stuff like that are so important."

Mr Guiney said of Sunday's Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles that it was "a good night" but he added that it was a "long old day".

"We're delighted - it wasn't obvious at all coming away with anything. We were hopeful. Four Oscars and Best Actress is a good night," he said of the success of Poor Things, which stars Emma Stone and is directed by the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos.

"It's a long old day. You get collected around lunchtime and the ceremony starts at 16:00 and lasts till 19:00 and then there's the parties!"

He said Irish success at the Academy Awards was thrilling, especially to see Cillian Murphy, from Cork, win Best Actor for his leading role in Oppenheimer.

"I think [Murphy] was really touched by the support from home. He's a very low-key guy. I think he was happy to be there with his wife and kids," Mr Guiney added.

Asked about Murphy saying it felt like the Irish film industry was entering its 'Italia 90', a reference to Ireland being buoyed by its national soccer team's performance in the World Cup of that year, Mr Guiney said: "He said there was an outpouring that reminded him of that, yeah - I guess, reflecting the support that we were feeling from home.

"It felt like there was a lot of interest and good wishes."

He said the standard of productions such as Blue Lights, the Northern Ireland-set BBC police drama written by Belfast writers Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, was something film and television makers here should be aiming for more often.

"Blue Lights being a great example, written and produced by two northern Irish writers - a phenomenal success - a huge success," he added.

"That's what should be at the foregrounding at the end of the day. Its a cliché but I think we are an island of storytellers and that's our natural resource and we should be leaning into that."

You can hear Ed Guiney's interview with Good Morning Ulster in full by listening to the programme here.