Blackbird (2018 film)

Blackbird is a 2018 spy film directed by, produced and written by and starring dancer Michael Flatley.[1][2]

Blackbird
Poster
Directed byMichael Flatley
Screenplay byMichael Flatley
Produced byMichael Flatley
StarringEric Roberts
Patrick Bergin
Ian Beattie
Michael Flatley
CinematographyLuke Palmer
Edited byWeronika Kamińska
Music byOwen Brady
Production
companies
Dance Lord Productions
West One Entertainment
Egg Studios
Five Knight Films Limited
Parachute Film Studios
Release date
  • September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28) (Raindance)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Production

Filming took place in County Cork, London and Barbados. It was largely financed by Flatley himself.[3]

Premise

The secret agent "Blackbird" retires and opens a nightclub in the Caribbean to escape his past. A former lover comes to meet him, but brings trouble with her.

Cast

Release

Blackbird was dismissed as a vanity project by journalists, Brian Lloyd of entertainment.ie comparing Flatley to Tommy Wiseau of The Room infamy.[4][5]

The first screening was a June 2018 private showing for cast and crew at the Stella Cinema, Rathmines, Dublin; Blackbird was shown at The May Fair Hotel, London as part of the Raindance Film Festival on 28 September 2018.[6][7][8]

In 2018, Flatley claimed to be in pre-production for Blackbird 2.[9] However, there has never been a general release of Blackbird, fuelling speculation about the film's quality. In 2019, Brian Lloyd of entertainment.ie wrote a lengthy investigation of the film, finding out that "Over 200 people attended the screening of 'Blackbird', and so far as can be reasonably determined, none of them were journalists or critics. When asked if perhaps the jury of Raindance Film Festival may have seen 'Blackbird', [David Martinez, a festival producer with Raindance] says this did not take place."[4]

References
  1. Heritage, Stuart (6 July 2018). "Michael Flatley's self-financed spy thriller: what you need to know" – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. "Michael Flatley on Why His Self-Financed Directorial Debut 'Blackbird' Isn't a Vanity Project". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. "Michael Flatley wraps shooting for Blackbird". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema.
  4. Lloyd, Brian. "The mystery of Michael Flatley's directorial debut, 'Blackbird'". Entertainment.ie.
  5. Flynn, Roddy; Tracy, Tony (9 August 2019). Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538119587 – via Google Books.
  6. Clarke, Donald. "Why is Michael Flatley's spy movie getting so much flak?". The Irish Times.
  7. "Blackbird to Premiere at Raindance Film Festival in London | The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie.
  8. "Michael Flatley's new movie Blackbird to have world premiere in London this week". IrishCentral.com. 27 September 2018.
  9. Beresford, Jack. "Michael Flatley on Blackbird, sequel plans and why he's making movies now". The Irish Post.
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