Athboy filmmaker’s new work for nationwide cinema release

Award-winning Athboy filmmaker Rachel Lysaght's film 'The Pipe' is due to be released in cinemas nationwide on 3rd December next. Ms Lysaght is an award-winning film and TV producer, and a graduate of EAVE and the Samuel Beckett School of Drama in Trinity College, Dublin. Lead producer at Underground Films, she has participated in international financing, pitching and co-production forums in France, Italy, Luxembourg and the UK. Her feature documentary 'The Pipe', directed by Risteard O Domhnaill, scooped 'Best Documentary Film' at the Galway Film Fleadh 2010. She is producing 'Muide Éire' ('We Are Ireland'), a four-part TV documentary series and feature documentary on Irish cinema. In pre-production, and to be shot late 2010/early 2011, she has the feature documentaries 'I Was A Soldier' and 'Dreams Of A Life'. She also has a number of feature drama projects in development. Her productions have won Audience Awards at Sapporo International Film Festival, Japan; Festival de Lyon-Villeurbanne, France; Santiago de Compostela Festival, Spain, and Best Actress, Festival de Bruxelles, while within Ireland, she has won an Irish Film & Television Award (IFTA); Best First Irish Short at the Galway Film Fleadh, and Gradam Gael Linn, Cork Film Festival. Earlier this year, 'Hum' was nominated for the Berlin Today Awards, Berlinale 2010. Rachel Lysaght grew up in Athboy, and attended O'Growney NS before going to Eureka Secondary School in Kells. Her earliest experience of filmmaking was being an extra on 'Braveheart', during filming of Mel Gibson's Academy Award-winning epic at Trim Castle. During transition year in Eureka, she won a script-writing competition in the Irish Times, and won a walk-on part in the RTE serial 'Glenroe'.