Amici per la vita

Film con riconoscimento del Giffoni film festival!

COWBOYS & ANGELS
Ireland, 2003, 35mm, 1:1.85, 90’



Shane, 20 years old is desperately unhappy, he is stuck in an office job in the civil service. He’s a talented artist who longs to go to Art School. When he moves into an apartment in Limerick city with Vincent, a gay fashion student, things begin to look up. Vincent takes Shane under his wing, teaching him how to dress and style himself, and intensifying Shane’s longing to study art. When he meets and falls in love with Gemma, best friend of Vincent’s, something has to give. One day Shane stumbles across stash hidden in the corridor by Keith, a drug dealer who lives downstairs. Shane doesn’t steal the drug and Keith offers him to go on a drugs run to Dublin. Shane desperately needs money to finance his studies and to buy new clothes because he has given up, so he goes to Dublin. It will be a horrible experience, but when he gets back to Limerick he is a changed man, albeit a wealthier one. Within days Vincent has transformed him into one of the coolest cats in town. Unknown to Shane though, the cops have tailed him back from Dublin and are now watching his apartment.




David Gleeson
David Gleeson hails from a family of cinema owners. He learnt his craft in a darkened theatre. One of Ireland’s hottest emerging filmmakers, David has written and directed several award winning short films. COWBOYS & ANGELS is his feature debut. David currently lives in Dublin, Ireland




Director's statement
“Although COWBOYS & ANGELS is set in Ireland and incorporates elements which are very specific to Irish culture, the mythic nature of the story and its universal theme of belonging and acceptance makes it relevant to everyone.It is not only a story about Shane Butler’s personal growth. It is also the story of a warm and touching friendship between two souls – Shane and Vincent. It is a film about young people for young people. It is an upbeat film with a cheerful, positive outlook. But there is a deeper level to all of this. A sense of poetic lyricism imbues Shane’s every action and adds a certain emotive quality to his journey”.


PREMIO ARCA ENEL
THE ARCA ENEL AWARD
34a Edizione/34th Edition
"Y Gen" Section

COWBOYS & ANGELS
Directed by David Gleeson(Irlanda / Ireland)
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Motivazione:
Per aver raccontato in modo efficace il percorso di ricerca di identità che ogni giovane si ritrova ad affrontare. Per aver trattato tematiche a sfondo sociale con sottile ironia. Un film che ci ha coinvolti e nel quale come adolescenti ci siamo identificati e come lo stesso film dice: “Abbiamo trovato la nostra voce, insegnateci ad usarla!”

Reasons:
For having dealt in the best possible way the plea for identity that every young person has to live through. For having dealt with social themes in an ironic and subtle way. A film that caught our attention as teenagers and in which we all identified with and as the film itself says: “We have found our voice, teach us to use it!”

director David Gleeson
screenplay David Gleeson
director of photography Volker Tittel (BVK)
editor Andrew Bird
production designer Jim Furlong
costume designer Grania Preston
music Stephen McKeon
leading players Michael Legge (Shane Butler)Allen Leech (Vincent Cusack)Amy Shiels (Gemma)Frank Kelly (Jerry)David Murray (Keith)
produced by Nathalie Lichtenthaeler
production Wide Eye Films Ltd (Irl)/Peter Stockhaus Production
festival contact
world sales:

Media Luna Entertainment Hochstadenstrasse 1-3, D-50674 Köln Germany phone +49 2211392222 fax +49 2211392224
http://www.medialuna-entertainment.de/
info@medialuna-entertainment.de
Italian distribution