Soho Moon holds rights to an extensive library of over 30 titles, including films, TV dramas and documentaries. Selected highlights include:
The Irish R.M.
(Channel Four, ITV)/18 x 60’, 1983-85
Comedy drama, described by an American TV executive as “evergreen”, in which Major Sinclair Yeates finds himself in Ireland, where “the inevitable never happens, but the improbable frequently does”.
The Irish R.M. stars Peter Bowles (Rumpole Of The Bailey, To The Manor Born) and Bryan Murray (Perfect Scoundrels, Fair City). Classic turn of the century stories, written by Somerville and Ross and adapted by Upstairs, Downstairs writers Rosemary Anne Sisson and Alfred Shaughnessy.
The first ever drama series commissioned by Channel 4 in 1981 – also its first ratings success – The Irish R.M. returned for 2 further seasons on C4 and ITV.
Also starring Beryl Reid (The Killing of Sister George, BAFTA winner Smiley’s People), Dinsdale Landen and John Wells, along with Irish legends Niall Tóibín and Anna Manahan.
No Tears
(RTÉ)/4 x 60’, 2 x 90’, 100’, 2002
Winner Best Drama Series, Monte Carlo Television Festival 2002, No Tears stars Academy Award Winner, Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot). Based on the events that rocked Ireland during the 1990s; this deeply moving drama portrays the efforts of a group of ordinary women who discover they have been infected with Hepatitis C as they bravely seek justice and the truth.
It’s worth noting that similar public health scandals, somehow most frequently associated with women, have occurred in Italy, Canada and, most recently, the UK: contaminated medical products, all warning signs ignored, leading to establishment cover-ups.
The Hanging Gale
(BBC)/4 x 60’, 2 x 90’, 1995
A tragic, historical adventure story of four brothers whose lives are thrown into turmoil as the Famine begins to strike. Townsend (Michael Kitchen) ((Foyle’s War)), the new land agent, is forced by his absentee landlord employer to demand that rents be paid in full despite the harsh circumstances brought on by the potato blight.
Anger turns to desperation as the Phelan family is evicted from their home. When, if ever, is it right to take the law into your own hands?
This epic and powerful mini-series consistently achieved very high ratings – over 9 million viewers – when screened on BBC One in 1995. Winner of 1996 FIPA Award for Best Series and nominated for four BAFTA awards including Best Serial. Directed by Diarmuid Lawrence, written by Allan Cubitt (The Fall) and starring the four McGann brothers – Paul, Joe, Mark and Stephen.
DOCUMENTARIES
The King of Communism
90’, 2002
Using Nicolae Ceausescu’s own archive of 35mm propaganda films, this documentary offers a surprising and chilling view of the absurd world of the Romanian dictator’s regime.
“This is a real-life communist version of Springtime for Hitler. It’s an all-singing, all-dancing unmasking of the illusions of Communism, but it’s also a serious study of the experience, effects and legacy of the Twentieth Century’s most destructive political system.”
Ben Lewis (Director)
Winner Grierson Award, Best Historical Documentary in Britain 2002.
The Undertaking
53’/70’, 2007
Directed by Cathal Black (Korea), an elegant exploration of the world of Irish-American poet Thomas Lynch.
What’s remarkable about Lynch and three generations of his Mid-West family, is his parallel calling as an undertaker: the Lynch family were the inspiration for Alan Ball’s Six Feet Under for HBO.
The Irish Empire
(RTÉ/BBC/ABC Australia), 5 x 60’, 2000
Behind every one of the 70 million Irish lives around the globe there stretches a centuries-old history of exodus, hope and fierce struggle to establish a life in foreign lands.
This landmark 5 x 1-hour documentary series takes a look at the Irish Diaspora, examining the history of emigration and the impact which emigrants have had in their adopted countries.
Directed by Alan Gilsenan (The Days Of Trees), Dearbhla Walsh (Bad Sisters, Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale) and David Roberts, written by Fintan O’Toole and narrated by Fiona Shaw.
In Search of Ancient Ireland
(PBS/RTÉ/BBC), 3 x 60’, 2002
Irish history is complex and often contradictory, with myth and legend often being as important as the latest archaeological and concrete historical evidence. This 3 x 1 hour series attempts to separate the myth from reality, and in so doing, tells many interesting stories. Directed by Leo Eaton.
“A fresh perspective on how Ireland has been shaped…fascinating stuff” The Irish Times.