The project may have begun in Ireland, but it is the city of Porto that has been chosen as the setting for shooting “Made in Dublin”, a production by Revolution Media. The feature, by Jack Armstrong, is an expansion of the director’s earlier short film “Final Curtain” (2020).
Although some shoots took place in Ireland and the Algarve, the majority of scenes were filmed in Porto, in interiors and locations such as Bairro do Cerco and Rua das Galerias de Paris. “Although it may seem ironic to make a film called “Made in Dublin” in Porto, the city does in fact look very similar to Dublin: the atmosphere, the people, the landscape, the small historical centre”, explains Jack Armstrong. “The original idea was to shoot in different countries, but we ended up finding specific locations in Portugal”.
The fiction film begins by following Finn (Stuart Cullen), an aspiring actor under much financial, professional and personal pressure, who makes a living working in a high-end restaurant in Dublin. A meeting with a famous director (Paudge Behan), with whom the young man wants to do an audition, ends up triggering conflict — we get to know the filmmaker’s background in Los Angeles, marked by alcohol, drugs and betrayal, and the story of the restaurant’s maître d’ (Jonathan Delaney Tynan), a drag queen out of working hours. The narrative jumps between countries, stories and characters culminating in the “performance of a lifetime” for the young waiter.
Alongside the Irish members of the team — Chris Harris (Screenwriting), Mel Sutcliffe (Executive Production) and Melissa Lawlor (Production) — a large proportion of the professionals involved in the film are from Porto: Daniel Machado (Production Designer), Ricardo Freitas (1st Assistant Director), Inês Maria Ramos (Locations Manager), Adelaide Trêpa (Costume Designer) and Ruby Kruss (Hair and Make Up Designer).
“We are very satisfied with this team. The industry in Portugal revolves around Lisbon and, often, professionals have to leave Porto for work. For them, this has been a positive experience of filming in their own city”, the production company said.
“Made in Dublin” will be completed in Spring 2023, with the date and location of its premiere to be announced.
