Craic House Pictures and Hot Machine Films are pleased to announce the conclusion of principal photography on the feature film, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends. Filming began January 7, in Co Galway, with Irish producers Emmett Hughes and Jordan-Lee McGrath joining forces with American director-producer Aisha Tyler to bring this nuanced psychological thriller to the big screen.
Irish actors Caroline Morahan (Once Upon a Time and The Real O’Neals ) and Emmett Hughes (The O’Briens and Advent ) star in this two-handed tour de force exploration of isolation, gender politics and revenge. From an original script by Emmett Hughes and Aisha Tyler, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends was filmed at Kieran Cooney’s Studio @5 in Claregalway along with rural locations around the county.
Emmett Hughes, is a highly regarded film-maker from the west of Ireland and I Hope We Can Still Be Friends marks his third film shot entirely in Galway. His first Galway feature, The O’Briens, won the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking award at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival. His most recent Galway feature, Avent, won Best Actress for Bríd Ní Neachtain as well as the Jury Prize at the 2023 Richard Harris Film Festival in Cork.
Hughes collaborates once again with producing partner Jordan-Lee McGrath, following their successful collaboration on Advent. The dark comedy, which had its world debut at the prestigious Newport Beach Film Festival, has been acquired for distribution by Gravitas Media and will be released globally on all streaming and cable platforms, including Apple TV and Prime Video, on February 25, 2025.
Aisha Tyler (Archer, Criminal Minds and Fear the Walking Dead ) joins as director. This will be her second time helming a film in Ireland; her short film Ar Scáth le Chéile, filmed in Galway in 2014, went on to festival acclaim, including screening at the Galway Film Fleadh.
“I first came to Ireland to shadow as a director on Penny Dreadful and Vikings and found a vibrant, highly skilled, welcoming creative community,” explained Tyler.
“My first narrative short, Ar Scáth le Chéile, was shot in Galway in 2014. It’s been a thrill to reunite with some of my creative team from that film as well as forge new creative partnerships with the highly talented local film artists. The shoot for I Hope We Can Still Be Friends at Studio @5 in Claregalway was transformative and creatively rich. I very much look forward to collaborating on projects with the brilliant creative team I had the fortune of working with on this visceral psychological thriller.”
Tyler and Hughes last collaborated on the psychological thriller Axis, with Tyler directing Hughes as the sole onscreen actor from an original script he wrote. Axis was an official selection at eight major US festivals, winning Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Film Festival among other festival awards. Axis is currently streaming on multiple platforms.
Tyler has directed multiple episodes of award-winning hit television, including Criminal Minds: Evolution, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Wonder Years, Roswell NM, Elsbeth and Evil.
