18/04/2023 - The comedy follows a troupe of failed clowns and an intrepid reporter embarking on a chaotic road trip of self-discovery after a mysterious solar event plunges the world into anarchy

BAFTA-nominated director George Kane's new picture, Apocalypse Clown [+see also:
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An alumnus of the National Film School in Dublin, Kane has directed projects such as the multi-award-winning feature-length mockumentary Discoverdale (crowned Best International Feature at the 2013 Galway Film Fleadh), the Channel 4 comedy blap Lives of the Infamous (starring Jim Broadbent), the BAFTA- and Royal Television Society-nominated ITV2 series Timewasters, as well as the third season of the acclaimed Sky comedy Brassic and the Disney+ series Wedding Season, aired in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Described by the creative team as “a chaotic road trip of self-discovery”, Apocalypse Clown begins with the sudden death of international clown master Jean DuCoque, an event that brings together the film's motley trio: Bobo (David Earl), a hobo clown who has hit rock bottom; Pepe (Fionn Foley), a talentless mime; and Funzo (Natalie Palamides), an inadvertently terrifying “street clown”. After a mass brawl at the funeral, involving some vengeful human statues, earns them a night in jail, the group emerges to find a country suddenly plunged into anarchy overnight by a major solar flare.

This band of unlikely heroes escape with The Great Alphonso (Ivan Kaye), a pompous ex-TV celebrity, and Jenny Malone (Amy De Bhrún), a clickbait reporter with a head full of ambition, conspiracy theories and “mammy issues”. They venture cross-country in Bobo's jalopy in search of answers and learn that this might just be their time to shine...

The feature's technical crew includes DoP David Grennan, editor Matyas Veress, production designer Martin Goulding, costume designer Alice Eyssartier and composer Stephen McKeon. The film was shot in English in Dublin City and its county, as well as in County Kildare and County Wicklow.

Speaking about the whole creative process, Kane told Cineuropa: “It's been a long labour of love bringing this lunacy to the screen. It's a big swing, as they say... A cross-country clown odyssey, full of delusional freaks and weirdos, told in the language of a miniature Roland Emmerich disaster-fest. We stretched our budget and resources to the max to tell a wild, ambitious, unpredictable and deeply silly story. Our ideal cast brought wonderful pathos to the sharp, joke-dense script which has made for a lovably twisted film, ruthlessly focused on making audiences laugh. It's made to be watched in a crowd, and we can't wait for that to happen this summer.”

Producer Morgan Bushe added: “George, writers Shane O’Brien, James Walmsley and Demian Fox, and our amazing cast have really created something completely unique with this film. Like Beckett with added Stiller, there's certainly never been an Irish film like it, and I think audiences are going to really love journeying with our unhinged, dysfunctional troupe of clowns on their quest to save the world, and their careers in the process. Buckle up for a roller-coaster ride of comedy chaos.”

Apocalypse Clown is being produced by Fastnet Films (Ireland), Namesake Films (UK) and uMedia (Belgium). The project's funders include Screen Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, RTÉ, Vertigo Releasing, the Irish Tax Credit, the Belgian Tax Shelter and BCP Asset Management. Charades is in charge of its international sales.