AN KLONDIKE, the critically acclaimed Galway made western will be looking to strike gold next month having been nominated for nine awards at the upcoming Irish Film and Television Awards.
Produced by Indreabháin based Abú Media, it is the first Western to be made in Ireland and was filmed entirely in Galway. It was selected as the Closing Film for the 2015 Galway Film Fleadh, and was screened as a four-part series on TG4 last year.
The series focuses on the Connolly brothers from Rosmuc who travel to the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s. Arriving at Dominion Creek, they become embroiled in a deadly feud with Jacob Hopkins, who runs the town. As part of the production, Dominion Creek was built on the grounds of the Glengowla mines outside Oughterard.
An Klondike has been nominated for nine awards - Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress (including Galwegians Dara Devaney and Siobhán O’Kelly ) and Best Drama, while Galway based costume designer Triona Lillis and production designer Pádraig O’Neill, are also up for awards. The nine nominations are the most to any one project, beating Room, Brooklyn, and Rebellion.
“It’s a great achievement when you see a show like ours competing against these big budget productions from the UK and the US," says series creator and director Dathaí Keane, "but it’s also a reflection of the talent on offer here in the west of Ireland. I’m from Galway and the majority of our cast and crew are from the west, so it’s wonderful to see their work being recognised like this. We had a great team working on this production and these nominations are a testament to the hard work and talent of everyone who helped to bring An Klondike to life.”
A second season of An Klondike will be filmed this summer in Galway with casting for new additions to the drama currently underway. The series is also shortlisted for the Best Drama at the Celtic Media Festival, which takes place in Ireland this year.
The 2016 IFTA Film & Drama Awards Ceremony takes place on Saturday April 9 at the Mansion House in Dublin and will be broadcast on TV3.
