One budding local filmmaker is making a big splash this month as his first feature film is releasing in cinemas nationwide.
Alan Mulligan, Bachelor of Commerce graduate from NUIG, was 30 years old when he first heard the silver screen calling his name and took up a career in film.
Without any previous experience in the industry, Alan left behind his career in finance to become a producer, director and writer.
That graft is paying off now as his first full-length feature, psychological thriller ‘The Limit Of’, is releasing in Irish cinemas nationwide this month.
‘The Limit Of’ is a story based on Alan’s career as a young banker during the Celtic Tiger years, and the crippling recession that followed.
James Allen, played by actor Laurence O’Fuarain, is a successful, controlling, thirty-something banker where a family tragedy occurs at the hands of his employer.
He decides to take action which forces him to face a terrible childhood secret. Meanwhile, his mysterious co-worker Alison, played by IFTA-nominated Sarah Carroll, has her own agenda, which puts her on a collision course with James, triggering a dark spiral of deceit, revenge and murder.
‘The Limit Of’ captures the all-consuming greed that came to dominate the financial sector, along with the demand for control that characterises modern society.
When it premiered at Galway Film Fleadh in 2017, ‘The Limit Of’ garnered a standing ovation, and earned itself invitations to multiple international film festivals and nominations for many awards.
It has won Best First Feature at the Portugal International Film Festival, 2018; and the Director’s Choice Awards, Best Emerging Filmmaker (non-New England), at the Woods Hole Film Festival, Cape Cod, 2018.
A native of Charlestown, Co. Mayo, Alan said ‘The Limit Of’ never would have happened if not for his experiences at NUIG.
“I know that I didn’t study film in university, but without the business background and techniques I learned through my education, I would not have been able to produce, direct and write a feature film.”
“Most of the film making process is very much business related, it’s just all built around creativity,” he added.
The Limit Of’ is releasing throughout Irish cinemas from April 5, with Galway’s Eye Cinema hosting a special screening on April 9 which will include a Q&A with Alan and cast members.
