That They May Face the Rising Sun (2024)
- Project Type
- Feature Film
- Title
- That They May Face the Rising Sun (2024)
- Release Date
- 2024
- Irish Partner
- South Wind Blows
- Co-Partners
- Harvest Films
- Cyprus Avenue Films
- Harvest Films
- Funding Strand
- Single Project Development
- Year Funded
- 2017
- Funding Amount
- €50,000
Released in Ireland and the UK in April, 2024, That They May Face the Rising Sun is an adaptation of the final novel from John McGahern, directed and co-written by Pat Collins.
That They May Face the Rising Sun was produced by South Wind Blows (Ireland), Harvest Films (Ireland), and Cyprus Avenue Films (Northern Ireland).
The adaptation of John McGahern's novel is directed by Pat Collins who co-wrote the screenplay with Eamon Little. Pat Collins' previous documentary work includes John McGahern: A Private World (2005) as well as the feature films, Song of Granite and Silence.
Capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland in the 1970’s (the novel is set in the 1950s), the film stars Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall) and Anna Bederke (Soul Kitchen) in the lead roles. Lalor Roddy, Sean McGinley, Ruth McCabe, and first-time actor Phillip Dolan make up the cast of supporting characters.
Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned from London to live and work among the small, close-knit community where Joe grew up. Now deeply embedded in life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters around them unfolds through the rituals of work, play, and the passing seasons. Irish company, South Wind Blows, received Creative Europe MEDIA development support for the film.