CHRIS O’Dowd is set to portray Irish Voice founder Niall O’Dowd in a major new political thriller centred on the Northern Ireland peace process.
The film, titled Ceasefire, will be written and directed by Belfast filmmaker Terry George and is due to begin filming in Ireland later this year.
The project, first reported by the US entertainment publication Deadline, also includes Jane Fonda as the late US Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, Ciarán Hinds as Irish-American businessman and peace process advocate Bill Flynn, and John C. Reilly as former US congressman Bruce Morrison.
BAFTA-winning actor Tom Hollander has also joined the production.
Tipperary-born Niall O’Dowd, founder of the Irish Voice newspaper in New York, played a significant behind-the-scenes role in helping establish communication channels between republicans and the Clinton administration during the years leading up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire and ultimately the Good Friday Agreement.
Niall O'Dowd's part in the Northern Irish peace process will be the focus of a new filmAccording to the producers, the film will follow “the courageous Irish-American journalist who gambles everything to broker a secret backchannel between the IRA and a wary Clinton administration”.
They added: “As bombings, political betrayal, and mistrust close in, he risks his life to secure a lasting ceasefire between the deadliest enemies.”
George, whose previous credits include Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father and Oscar-winning short film The Shore, said the film would explore the hidden diplomacy and personal risks involved in peacemaking.
“Ceasefire is about the fragile, dangerous, often invisible work required to end conflict,” he said.
Chris O'Dowd is set to play Niall O'Dowd in the film“It’s about the belief that dialogue can triumph over violence. It’s a message and a story that is dramatic, moving, and vital. I am honoured to tell it.”
The production is being backed by Belfast-based Fine Point Films and Dublin company Wildcard, both of which were involved in the acclaimed Irish-language film Kneecap.
Producers Trevor Birney and Patrick O’Neill described the Northern Ireland conflict as “an intractable war” in which hopes for peace had all but disappeared after decades of violence.
“The story behind the process that led to peace is thrilling and emotional,” they said.
“It is also a reminder that individuals — not governments alone — can bring about change that saves lives.”
Bankside Films will launch international sales for Ceasefire at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 12 to 20.
The film adds to a growing body of screen drama examining the Troubles and the long peace negotiations that followed, but its focus on the Irish-American political network behind the scenes gives it a distinctive angle.
Niall O’Dowd, through both the Irish Voice newspaper and his extensive political connections in the United States, became one of the most influential Irish-American figures of the peace process era, helping build links between Irish republicanism, Washington and Irish-America at a crucial moment in modern Irish history.
Mr O'Dowd is also the co-founder of the Irish America magazine, which he launched with Editor-in-Chief Patricia Harty in October 1985.
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