PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Cathy Brady, director of the film Wildfire.
After a successful participation at the TIFF, Cathy Brady lands “virtually” in Italy at the 38th Torino Film Festival, in competition with her debut film Wildfire. The film, which is produced by the italian Carlo Cresto-Dina from Tempesta film, can be described as a tale of sisterhood intertwined with the reality of Norther Ireland, its history and background. Wildfire focuses on two “Irish Twins” Lauren (Nora-Jane Noone) and Kelly (Nika McGuigan) who are as fragile as strong and went through a very difficult past. After being separated for a year, united again they start trying to face their past, identity and mental struggles. Cathy Brady reveals that Wildfire came out in an inusual way: first there were the two actresses and then the story organically came along. When the film was in the post-production stage, Nika McGuigan suddenly passed away due to a very aggressive cancer. Cathy Brady remembers her and the connection all three of them had on set that it’s reflected very beautifully in the film.
Wildfire: Lauren and Kelly are inseparable sisters who grew up in a small town in Ireland. Their lives go different ways after their mother dies and Lauren is left alone to face their family’s dark and traumatic past. One day, after having disappeared for over one year, Kelly suddenly returns home and after the initial tension, the two women regain the equilibrium that had perforce been lost. Closer than ever, Lauren and Kelly want to clear up their family’s secrets: nevertheless, their investigation isn’t well received in town, where spiteful talk scuttles the truth and those who are searching for it.
Alice Rohrwacher has been appointed President of the Caméra d’or Jury at Cannes 2025. Known for her poetic and visionary cinema, Rohrwacher will award the best first feature at the festival’s closing ceremony on May 24.