Something remarkable happened here 30 years ago: an Oscar-winning film producer, who had made Skibbereen his home, engaged a director and a cast of 120 and remade a French movie
SOME say it was ‘a gift’ because it woke up something in the market town of Skibbereen, and the fishing village of Union Hall, as well as drawing on the talents of scores of young people, many of whom went on to have careers in the film industry.
David Puttnam modestly said no one had any idea the impact his movie War of the Buttons would have, but today even he has to admit it proved to be something of a catalyst.
Movies as medicine, or movies as motivation, should not be underestimated. As someone who spent 30 years of his life working as an independent producer of award-winning films – including The Mission, The Killing Fields, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone and Local Hero – David knows this better than most.
When working on a film, he involved himself in every aspect of the process: from the script-writing and casting to the editing and musical arrangement.
It’s this level of immersion in ‘story’ that has earned David’s films 10 Oscars, 10 Golden Globes, 33 Baftas, nine Emmys and the Palme D’Or at Cannes.
This year, Skibbereen’s excellent Arts Festival – as well as a big to-do in London – marked the 40th anniversary of the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire.
There was a synchronicity to it that involved the 100th anniversary of the events in the film, the 1924 Olympics.
And in this, another Olympic year, Skibbereen had more cause to celebrate than any other town in Ireland.
The recent gathering at the Cnoc Buí Community Arts Centre in Union Hall for the War of the Buttons’ anniversary, took a look back at what was made and what has happened since. And it looked ahead to West Cork’s filmmaking future.
Cnoc Buí – believe it or not – was a much-used, if rather dilapidated, set in the movie. The fact that the building is now beautifully restored and a showcase for local artistic talent is another example of a rising tide raising all
boats.
The 200 seats at Cnoc Buí were filled for the screening, followed by an interview with David Puttnam. The event was made even more special by the attendance of many of the original cast members and extras.
The occasion brought to mind the War of the Buttons premiere in Cork. Skibbereen didn’t have a cinema at the time – still doesn’t – but maybe that’s something that could be rectified to round out the flicks in Clonakilty and Bantry, Schull’s incomparable Fastnet Film Festival, and the establishment of West Cork Film Studios at the edge of Skibbereen town.
Each of the six screens at the city cineplex started War of the Buttons at 10-minute intervals. It was the only way that they could accommodate the 1,000-plus attendees – a far cry from Cannes, which has an auditorium that could comfortably take such a crowd.
According to David, what made the premiere one of the most amazing evenings of his life was the sight of the young cast members running from screen to screen so they could revel six times in thunderous applause.
Memories, like feelgood factors, cannot be bottled but somewhere it has been stored in the collective unconscious. Today, it can be seen bubbling up in the successes of award-winning local filmmakers such as Pat Collins and Adrian McCarthy.
David with his director, John Roberts, during War of the Buttons filming in Union Hall.
David Puttnam could also be credited with making West Cork a ‘des res’ for stars – Jeremy Irons, Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Robert Sheehan, to name a few. And let’s not forget the many producers, directors, production staff, and stunt workers who now call West Cork their home.
‘It gave the town confidence,’ said David. ‘The arrival of the film and the fact that so many people were able to help out, engage, and involve themselves, gave a central purpose.
‘During filming there was an energy and a belief in the town. People interconnected in ways they hadn’t done previously, so in that sense the film was a really significant catalyst.
‘I can’t pretend we knew this, I can’t pretend it was deliberate, but I think it emerged as a catalyst for a better and more confident vision of what Skibbereen could be.
‘The future of film in West Cork,’ according to David, ‘is whatever we decide we want it to be. The whole of West Cork has real lessons that it should be learning from the success of the Fastnet Film Festival in Schull.
‘What did Schull get right, what is the piece of magic that Schull injected? Because it certainly affects the whole of West Cork. It affects attitudes to West Cork. And places, like Skibbereen, ride on the surf of a film industry attitude.’
Director of War of the Buttons, John Roberts, putting the young cast through their paces during filming in Union Hall 30 years ago.
He added: ‘People now talk about West Cork as a whole, so we ought to be looking at ways in which it could and should be marketed as a natural centre for film.’
People might say there is not enough hotel accommodation, or some such, but David believes the key question in the industry is: ‘Why wouldn’t you be shooting in West Cork, because it’s such a wonderful place to work?’
At the anniversary screening in Union Hall last weekend were, from left: Paul Batt (Gorilla), David Puttnam, Derek O’Leary (Brendan), journalist Flor McCarthy, Thomas Kavanagh (Riley), and Gerard Kearney (Big Con).
TY initiative for screen fans
BY TONY O’SHAUGHNESSY
APPLICATIONS are now open for schools across Munster to participate in Screen Careers for Transition Year Students 2025, an exciting initiative that David Puttnam will be running with Atticus Education, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and University College Cork.
This is a free TY programme of online seminars led by the Oscar-winning producer and his team at Atticus Education. The programme is aimed at students who have a demonstratable interest in film/TV/cinema/gaming or animation.
Students will attend six online seminars with David, gaining invaluable insights into the filmmaking process and pathways to screen careers.
Students, parents and teachers will be invited to attend an end-of-programme, in-person, networking event hosted by UCC in late spring 2025 with David and other film industry leaders.
Read more about the programme and find the application form at www.atticusedu.com/TY2025
The application deadline is November 15th.
