Katie Holly’s Irish production company Blinder Films, the outfit behind Extra Ordinary, Mr Malcolm’s List, Love And Friendship and Dublin premiere Sunlight, has re-launched as Keeper Pictures, with an expanded team and a bustling slate of development projects.
Long-standing Keeper Pictures producer Yvonne Donohoe has been promoted to a newly created role, head of creative. Evan Horan, who was associate producer on Mr Malcolm’s List, has been promoted to producer. Amy Carroll has joined as development executive, previously working at South of the River and Kudos, while Niamh Dennis arrives from Tailored Films as development coordinator.
Feature film projects in development include Orange World, based on Karen Russell’s short story with Bad Sisters writer Ailbhe Keogan adapting for the screen and Sunlight filmmaker Claire Dix confirmed as director. Keeper Pictures will produce alongside Roisin Geraghty of Little Rose Films.
A Great Hunger is based on Liam O’Flaherty’s Famine, with Kelly Campbell and Michael McDonough writing, Paul Welsh (Winners) producing and Peter Mackie Burns to direct. There’s also the next project from You Are Not My Mother filmmaker Kate Dolan, Breed.
TV drama projects include Ursula Rani Sarma’s Right To Life which is being developed with Nisha Parti of Parti Productions; Extra Ordinary from Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, developed with Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne’s Animal Pictures; Happy Holly from writer-performer Ali Hardiman as well as a second series of The Gone.
The Dublin-based company was launched in 2006 by producer Holly, who will continue to head up the company. It has received backing from both Creative Europe and Screen Ireland slate funding.
“We will be a home and creative partner for entertaining, meaningful stories from brilliant original voices across both television and film,” said Holly. “At Keeper Pictures we are fans first and bring a passionate, fully engaged and (we’re told!) fun team to nurture and provoke talent and ideas; to get the best out of our productions as they come to life, and to make them stories that last.
“The past seventeen years have been an amazing journey. We have been working to refocus and articulate our goals – and now feels like the right time to communicate our fresh ambitions and who we are as a company. Now that we’re almost 18 and finally ’adults’, it’s time to move out of the awkward teenage years and delve into the next chapter.”
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