Audiences will see a whole other side to Irish actor Barry Keoghan when his new film is unveiled on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival, the festival director has said.
Keoghan, who won a Bafta and was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year for his turn in The Banshees Of Inisherin, stars in Saltburn, the new film by Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell.
Set in the mid-2000s, the movie stars Dublin-born Keoghan, 30, as student Oliver Quick, who is struggling to find his place at Oxford University when he finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, played by Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi.
Felix invites Oliver to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Written, directed and produced by The Crown actress Fennell, who won an Oscar for her screenplay for Promising Young Woman, the film also stars Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant and Carey Mulligan.
It will open the festival in London at the Royal Festival Hall on October 4 and will be screened simultaneously at the Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast.
Kristy Matheson, director of the festival, said: “I think everyone universally loves Barry Keoghan, but this film is a whole other side to him as an actor.
“I’m really chomping at the bit for people to see this film and to see him completely extending himself as a performer.”
Keoghan’s past roles include turns in Dunkirk, The Killing Of The Sacred Deer and Eternals, and he will soon be seen in Dune: Part Two.
Matheson said audiences will also be blown away by the performance of Maynooth-born Normal People star Paul Mescal, 27, in new film All Of Us Strangers, after he was nominated for an Oscar for Aftersun.
Written and directed by Andrew Haigh, the film is a loose adaptation of the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada and also stars Sherlock actor Andrew Scott.
Matheson said the film showcases “incredible talent,” adding: “It’s really a film I would urge people not to miss.
“It’s such an incredible piece of directing. The script is beautiful, but the whole film is is really in these performances. And I think that these are beloved actors, but I do think that people will walk out of that film and just have an even greater appreciation for those performers.
“It’s a very interior film, it really does hinge on on what they’re bringing to the film and it’s really something that is so special. You will want to bring a hanky.”
Audiences from Northern Ireland will be able to see films from the line-up at Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast throughout the festival.
They will also be shown at Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, Chapter in Cardiff, Glasgow Film Theatre, HOME in Manchester, MAC in Birmingham, Showroom Cinema in Sheffield, Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle and Watershed in Bristol.
Matheson said: “The UK has such an incredible network of independent cinemas, and these cinemas really are doing extraordinary work all year round, they really understand their local audiences and their local communities.
“They’re not just putting films on, they’re really thinking about their programmes, so it’s really lovely for us to be able to work with colleagues across the UK.
“But the other thing that’s really special is that the films are taking place across the UK while the festival is happening in London so that is really nice, it’s this sort of collective experience that we’re all having with the same films at the same time.
“We’re not finishing the festival in London and then going on tour, it is something that’s happening simultaneously. Film fans use social media to talk to each other about films, so it does mean that we can have these real time conversations across the UK and that’s sort of the most thrilling part about it.”
Saltburn will screen at the Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast at 8.30pm on October 4.
