In this episode of the Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh catches up with writer/director David Gleeson ahead of the release of his semi-autobiographical feature Once Upon a Time in a Cinema. Growing up in a family-run cinema, he was immersed in the magic of the big screen...an influence that continues to shape his work today. He talks about his unusual start in the industry (including working in oil exploration in the Arctic Circle) and how he made the transition to selling scripts in the US.
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Original video recording:
A dramatic night at the movies meets a powerful love letter to the cinema experience in Once Upon a Time in a Cinema, the new feature from acclaimed filmmaker David Gleeson (Tolkien, Don’t Go, The Front Line, Cowboys & Angels). Set over the course of one eventful evening in a cinema in 1980s Ireland, a cinema owner wrestles with the legacy of the past and the challenges of the future in a drama that is funny, wise and rings of authenticity.
Featuring a blend of some of Ireland’s most-respected actors and exciting new talent, Once Upon a Time in a Cinema, is set over one night at the movies - where the plot twists offscreen are as surprising as any of those onscreen. Renowned Irish actor Colin Morgan (Belfast, Merlin) plays Earl Clancy, the manager of a small-town cinema who is firefighting the Friday night from hell while mulling over the sale of his cinema to a shady politician. Like James Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life, his journey leads him to realise his value to the community.
Backed by Screen Ireland, and Myriad Pictures Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is a European co-production from Ireland’s Wide Eye Films Ltd, Germany’s Tossell Pictures and Umedia in Belgium. It is produced by Nathalie Lichtenthaeler and Judy Tossell. The cast includes Colin Morgan, Calam Lynch, Stanley Townsend, India Mullen, Clara Crichton and Niamh Cusack.
Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is in cinemas 1st May 2026.
David Gleeson
Born to a family of Irish cinema-owners who opened their first theater in 1942, David grew up steeped in all things celluloid. Following a colourful and varied path, including a 5-year stint in oil exploration deep inside the Arctic Circle, Gleeson made his feature film debut as a writer/director with 2003's Cowboys & Angels.
A youth comedy/drama set in his native Limerick, Cowboys & Angels was released in cinemas by Buena Vista International (Disney). The film won eight international film awards including Best Screenplay at Newport Beach (U.S.) and two Gold Medal Awards at Giffoni (Italy). The New York Times commented, [the film] 'offers a fresh mix of open-minded intelligence and a heartfelt point of view,' while The Chicago Tribune commented, 'Stack "Cowboys" against most of the fare American studios offer young adults and it's meatier by far'.
Gleeson's next film which he also wrote and directed, the crime drama The Front Line, was released in cinemas in 2006 also through Buena Vista Intl. Variety (magazine) called it; 'A satisfying blend of crime drama and geopolitical think piece about a Congolese refugee in Dublin, [The Front Line] sustains high levels of suspense while delivering an emotional wallop.' The Sunday Independent (Ireland) wrote; 'Gleeson has delivered a terrific film that reminds us what big screens were made for and it deserves to be a smash.'
In 2008, Gleeson sold his time travel sci-fi spec screenplay The End of History to Sony Pictures. He followed this up over the next decade with several more spec sales and commissions to studios including Walt Disney Pictures, Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Mattel Studios and Paramount Pictures. In July 2017, Gleeson wrote and directed Don't Go starring Stephen Dorff and Melissa George.
In May 2019, Fox Searchlight Pictures released Tolkien, a Chernin Entertainment production based on Gleeson's original screenplay about the legendary author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien. Now, the semi-autobiographical Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is about to hit cinemas. Gleeson continues to work in wildly different genres and is currently in preproduction on a musical comedy called Violence, Foul Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature.
