Following Toonari Post’s recent review of ‘Jump’, here is an interview with the film’s leading lady Nichola Burley. Nichola is a young actor from Leeds, England who has appeared in such projects as ‘StreetDance 3D’, ‘Shameless’, ‘Scott & Bailey’, and the upcoming ‘Twenty8k’. Here, she tells Toonari Post about the experience of working on ‘Jump’, filming in Northern Ireland and much more.

Toonari Post (TP): Can you describe the initial appeal of ‘Jump’ for you?

Nichola Burley (NB): When I initially read ‘Jump’ I was engrossed by the realism of playing two completely different emotions and scenarios against each other. Happiness and hope against numbness and sadness.

TP: You had to develop a Derry accent for the role. How much of a challenge was this and did you spend any time in Derry prior to filming to get the accent right?

NB: I had thought and learnt [sic] for the most part a general Northern Irish accent. Upon arriving in Belfast for rehearsals, I was asked more precisely to have a Derry accent and I had no idea what it was. It soon became about working with the voice coach on specifics and learning from cast and crew.

TP: Most of ‘Jump’ was shot on location. How did you find this shooting experience in comparison to working primarily on an enclosed set/sound-stage?

NB: It was fantastic to be on location, you can’t fake or pretend the feelings and atmosphere you can get from being in certain places. The Foyle Bridge was beautiful yet daunting. I was told many stories about the Bridge and often found it eery standing on the bridge, looking at beautiful views knowing for some people it symbolised very different things.

TP: Your character Greta is the emotional core of the film. Can you talk about the journey she goes on the film and what perhaps you found either particularly rewarding or challenging about playing her?

NB: Greta is a fantastic person. Someone who at that point in her life, and I believe for a long time, has come to feel numb and empty. She’s surrounded by materialistic things that serve as no real purpose to her and longs a great sense of feeling, belonging and true want. At the pit of this feeling, she meets Pearse (Martin McCann) who, without maybe knowing the extent of his actions, sheds light on to Greta, saving her in a number of ways.

TP: The cast in ‘Jump’ is pretty remarkable and diverse, yet the majority of your scenes are with Martin McCann. What was it like working with Martin, and is there anyone in the cast with whom you would have liked to have had more/any scenes?

NB: The cast of ‘Jump’ are all remarkable and delivered their characters with such ease. I was extremely lucky to have worked with Martin McCann. A very intense, precise and thought-provoking actor.

TP: The narrative structure of ‘Jump’ is quite ambitious in terms of how many characters and storylines need to be juggled. From reading the script to filming to then finally seeing it all on screen, how satisfied are you with the finished product?

NB: I am extremely pleased and proud with ‘Jump’. Whilst juggling stories and characters, it balances everything wonderfully and allows the audience to follow everyone’s stories in such a way that makes the audience feel moved in many ways.

TP: 10 years ago, Northern Ireland probably couldn’t (or wouldn’t) have been able to make a film like ‘Jump’. As a young actor coming up in the industry, what is your impression of filmmaking in Northern Ireland and of the talent on offer there?

NB: From the actors that I have worked with in Northern Ireland, the talent appears endless. Often growing up in oppression makes you want to fight and strive more to better yourself and things around you. This combined with a great honesty and naturalness makes for the perfect actor/actress.

TP: Leading on from that, another film you have in the pipeline is ‘Twenty8k’ which, like ‘Jump’, has started doing the festival circuit before a potential nationwide cinema release. What can you tell us about that film and your role?

NB: ‘Twenty8k’ has 50+ speaking characters and a very complex story. My character is a bit of a ‘rude girl’ with an ‘I don’t care’ attitude. She initially is with a very messed-up guy who is involved in some heavy situations, she then gets with a character not that much better, however holds slightly better morals. She lets on to a massive secret that could potentially save or disgrace a lot of people.

TP: Finally, what is next for you in your career?

NB: I have ‘Twenty8k’ coming out shortly and have recently completed a film calked ‘Svengali’.

TP: Good luck with it. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Nichola.

Watch the trailer for ‘Jump’ here and follow Nichola on Twitter at @nichola_burley.

The article Interview with ‘Jump’ Star Nichola Burley appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In Academy Award-winning director James Marsh’s new film ‘Shadow Dancer’, the story of a young mother torn between family loyalties and personal freedom places Northern Ireland’s troubled past in a quietly personal and intimate setting. Featuring a diverse cast of British and Irish actors, and shot on location in Dublin, ‘Shadow Dancer’ is one of the most fascinating representations of the troubled period which defined Northern Ireland in recent decades.

The film begins in Belfast in 1973 with a young girl, Colette McVeigh, sending her younger brother on an errand her father had asked her to do, only to see her brother carried into their home minutes later with a gun shot to the chest. Consumed with guilt and fear, the film flashes forward twenty years to London, where an older Colette is seen planting a bomb on the London Underground and then fleeing from the scene. Quickly caught by the police, the plot takes a surprising turn when it is immediately revealed that Colette never set the timer on the bomb. From here, director Marsh calmly sets up the main drive of the film: Colette, eager to escape from her involvement with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) can either agree to work for the British police as an informant on her family’s terrorist activities or she will lose her son and be sent to jail for twenty five years.

The strength of ‘Shadow Dancer’ rests in Marsh’s ability to mine gold out of a relatively-sparse screenplay. Moments of dialogue are few and far between, and in a Q&A session following a screening at the Belfast Film Festival, Marsh revealed that this led to the significance of costume and color in scenes where characters needed to make their presences known without any verbal introduction. Colette’s red coat in particular drew attention from audience members, with one person at the Belfast Film Festival screening linking it to Marsh’s previous work on the ‘Red Riding’ series for Channel 4.

As for the cast, there is not a flaw to be found. Andrea Riseborough is captivating as Colette, a woman whose domestic struggle (staying with the ignorant way of thinking exemplified by her brothers or leaving with her son who signifies the innocence of a new generation uncorrupted by sectarian bigotry) drives the narrative. Clive Owen is equally solid as Mac, the MI5 member who takes a personal interest in ensuring her safety. Strong supporting performances come from Gillian Anderson, Brid Brennan and Martin McCann, whose quiet turns in the film respect the tone and assist in making ‘Shadow Dancer’ a successful depiction of life and hardships for the contemplative individual in the midst of ongoing political strife and painful national division.

‘Shadow Dancer’ will be released in UK cinemas on August 25.

The article ‘Shadow Dancer’: A Simmering Portrayal of Northern Irish Conflict appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

On Friday June 8, the Belfast Film Festival hosted the second of its three Gala Screenings as the locally-produced film ‘Jump’ premiered to a packed crowd at the Dublin Road Movie House. Starring Nichola Burley (‘StreetDance 3D’), Martin McCann (“The Pacific”), Charlene McKenna (“Raw”), Richard Dormer (‘Good Vibrations’) and Lalor Roddy (“Game of Thrones”), ‘Jump’ follows several characters on New Year’s Eve in Derry, Northern Ireland, as they weave in and out of each others lives, all ultimately impacting the film’s main protagonist Greta, played beautifully by Burley. Director Kieron J. Walsh does a great job bringing effective moments of comedy to an otherwise dark, introspective tale, but ‘Jump”s main success is in painting Northern Ireland in a light rarely seen before on screen or at this festival.

Toonari Post previously reviewed ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘Shadow Dancer’, both of which were entertaining in their own rights but which still situated their narratives in relation to the well-documented social and political conflict of Northern Ireland’s past. ‘Jump’, however, tells personal stories through themes which could translate to any city and any festival. Depression, grief, greed, hope: Walsh brings all of these to life thanks to a moving score and Steve Brookes’ well-balanced screenplay.

The film begins with Greta on the edge of a bridge, contemplating suicide until she is interrupted by Pearse, a young man unceasing in his efforts to find his younger brother who he suspects has been harmed by local gangster Frank Feeney, who just so happens to be Greta’s father. Reluctantly caught in the middle of all of these storylines is Greta’s friend Marie who, along with her other friend Dara, struggle to stay out of danger on a New Year’s Eve night which spirals more and more out of control.

Burley has few, if any, light moments to play as the despondent Greta, but she never falters in her portrayal of a woman figuratively and physically driven to the edge of despair. She sparkles in her scenes with McCann, who gets to play some wittier moments as Pearse, a young man with whom Greta forms an instant bond due to their mutual loathing of Frank Feeney, played by Roddy. Roddy is perfectly menacing in the role, while Ciarán McMenamin and Packy Lee provide much of the comic relief as Feeney’s lacklustre henchmen. Charlene McKenna and Valene Kane are terrific as Marie and Dara, the two women who can’t help but to get drawn into everyone else’s problems. Rounding out the cast is Dormer who, as the haunted criminal Johnny, is a world away from Terri Hooley of ‘Good Vibrations’ in this role. Dormer grounds every single scene he is in, especially when he is paired with the ridiculous duo of Ross and Jack (McMenamim and Lee, respectively), and at times rivals Burley as the emotional hook of the film.

More than likely, ‘Jump’ will not receive the global marketing support handed out to less-deserving ensemble offerings like last year’s woeful ‘New Year’s Eve’ or the recent ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’, which is a shame because Walsh and Brookes have created a densely-plotted and fantastically fast-paced film which would entertain almost any cinema-goer. Still, it had the backing of Limelight Media, Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Film Board and BBC Northern Ireland, among other investors, so there may be hope that a wider audience outside of Northern Ireland will get the chance to enjoy ‘Jump’ and see a refreshing take on life in this creatively-burgeoning country.

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