'CHASING THE LIGHT' - world premier at Cork International Film Festival on Saturday 9th November, 2024

‘Chasing the Light’ - our film about Dzogchen Beara - will have its world premier at Cork Film Festival on Saturday 9th November, before hitting Irish cinemas on Friday 13th December.

CHASING THE LIGHT tells the story of charismatic hippie Peter Cornish who escapes the chaos of the modern world by founding a spiritual haven on the cliffs of West Cork, which eventually blossoms into Dzogchen Beara, a world-leading Tibetan Buddhist centre.

For five decades, this former clifftop farm has transformed the lives of thousands who come here to seek comfort and support from Buddhist teachings amidst the wild Atlantic seascapes.

As this devoted community embark on an arduous journey to build Ireland's first Tibetan Buddhist temple, a letter surfaces accusing their beloved leader, Sogyal Rinpoche, of serious misconduct.

As the community grapples with the shocking allegations, and the ensuing investigation, Peter is left to confront the potential unravelling of everything he has dedicated his life to. Sensitively dissecting this complicated history, CHASING THE LIGHT provides a beautiful and meditative portrait of a fragile dream at the edge of the world.

Written and directed by Maurice O’Brien and produced by Clare Stronge.

SIX years in the making - it will be a really special occasion to finally see the film with an audience.

Leaving Limbo reviews

We got some lovely feedback on ‘Leaving Limbo’ including reviews in the Sunday Times, Independent and Irish Examiner. Watch this space as the film will be shown at ‘Half Moon Film Fest’ in Cork in April, and will also be re-shown on RTE in the coming months

From the Examiner:

Amidst reruns of Mrs Brown’s Boys, recaps of a TV presenter’s career, and tributes to deceased entertainers, Christmas television seemed sorted. The unwanted chocolates, more than likely the strawberry ones, remained untouched at the end of the box as the channel hopping between the terrestrial and the streaming threw up the same predictable options.

Until it didn’t.

An unexpected documentary on RTÉ One on New Year’s night gave us the stories of Natasha Maimba and Minahil Sarfraz.

With a showdown between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin being predicted as the defining moment for the decade ahead, it can be hard to locate leadership.

And then you meet Natasha Maimba and Minahil Sarfraz — two 18-year-olds who arrived in Ireland as young children, their mothers fleeing persecution in Zimbabwe and Pakistan respectively.

The friends met in a direct provision centre in Athlone, both seeing education as their way out of this life in limbo.

And so they put their heads down and focused on the books — the documentary Leaving Limbo follows the girls’ preparation for the Leaving Cert in Our Lady’s Bower school.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/columnists/joyce-fegan3/joyce-fegan-how-teenagers-natasha-and-minahil-school-our-politicians-in-leadership-973501.html

From the Indo:

“Co-directed by Maurice O’Brien and Cara Holmes, Leaving Limbo is a sympathetic and considered exploration of a complex situation that seems to provoke the worst in people….

What’s most striking about Natasha and Minahil is how good-natured they are, how optimistic and positive.

They’re quick to laugh, they’re engaged and engaging, curious about the world and their place in it as “new Irish”.

It sounds like a syrupy cliché, but things like that matter a lot.

So does serious-minded television, made with sincerity — as an example of that, Leaving Limbo wasn’t half-bad at all.

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-reviews/leaving-limbo-review-a-sympathetic-and-considered-exploration-of-a-complex-situation-38826637.html

"Leaving Limbo" - premiering on RTE1 on New Year's Day 2020, at 6.30pm

Here in Lifeblood Towers we are delighted and excited about having our film ‘Leaving Limbo’ air on RTE1 on New Year’s Day at 6.30pm.

This beautifully shot observational documentary tells the inspiring story of teenage best friends and former asylum seekers Natasha and Minahil as they prepare to sit their Leaving Cert.

Natasha Maimba and Minahil Sarfraz met whilst growing up as asylum seekers in Direct Provision, their childhoods spent in cramped caravans on the outskirts of Athlone.

Both spent years in limbo, not knowing if they would be able to stay in the country they were making home. Their mothers were not allowed to work and were denied basic citizenship rights.

Finally granted leave to remain, ‘Leaving Limbo’ follows the journey of these articulate, intelligent and funny young women as they prepare to sit their Leaving Cert exams.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Direct Provision system, the film sheds light on what it is like to live as a young asylum seeker in Ireland and what it is like “being Irish” when your parents come from a different country.

Full of humour and insight -  audiences will be inspired by the determination of these two young women to not only overcome the obstacles of their past, but to also change the world through their work as UNICEF ambassadors.

These two young women are powerful advocates for issues facing asylum seekers and through their work for UNICEF Ireland have already reached mass audiences around the world.

In addition to a 1 x 52 minute film for RTE 1 Natasha and Minahil will also present six short films for an online audience offering their own funny and personal guide to the Leaving Cert.

‘Leaving Limbo’ is co-directed by Maurice O’Brien and Cara Holmes, edited by Cara Holmes and produced by Maurice O’Brien for Lifeblood Films.

The film was funded by the BAI and RTE and the Exec producer for RTE is Colm O’Callaghan.

https://vimeo.com/379743264/0e6eed7b5e

'Walking the Walk' - RIP Tony Coote

Last year I was very lucky to have been asked last minute to make a film for RTE about Tony Coote, a priest who had recently been diagnosed with Moror Neuron Disease and had set himself the challenge of walking the length of Ireland to raise awareness of the disease and raise funds for those who suffered from it.

I had little idea of the adventure ahead….the walk turned into a pilgrimmage which inspired people all over the country and raised over half a million euros. As well being a serious endeavour, it was also full of craic and laughter, and lifelong friends were made.

It was a pleasure and an education to spend time with Tony and interview him at length about his beliefs and motivations, and to observe the positive community-building he inspired in others around him.

Tony finally lost his battle with MND last week, but his legacy will live on.

My film for RTE 1 ‘Walking the Walk’, exec produced by Roger Childs, is currently available once again to view on the RTE Player: https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/walking-the-walk/85894184331

The Abbey – A Riot of Their Own

Lifeblood Films’ ‘The Abbey – A Riot of Their Own’ will have its premier on RTE 1 at the end of October.

Filmed over the course of a year and featuring exclusive behind the scenes access, the film follows the two new artistic directors of Ireland’s national theatre as they attempt to revolutionise it from within.

Shining a light behind the curtain of the national stage, the film features interviews and performances from some of Ireland’s best known theater actors and is a fascinating portrait of the Abbey at a key turning point in its history.

Hey Ronnie Reagan

‘Hey Ronnie Reagan’ – the Irish Film Board funded short film directed by Lifeblood Films’ Maurice O’Brien produced with Marmalade Films continues to charm audiences at film festivals around the world.

Following sold-out audiences at Cork and Dublin film festivals, its international premier took place at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018.

Upcoming screenings include Helsinki Film Festival and the Irish Film Institute’s Documentary Film Festival on 29th September 2018.

The film tells the story of Ronald Reagan’s 1984 visit to his ancestral home – the tiny Co. Tipperary village of Ballyporeen. Featuring never seen before archive and a cast of colourful local legends, it’s a bittersweet and funny story and snapshot of a fast disappearing rural Ireland.

The film features cinematography from John McMahon and was edited by Cara Holmes. You can hear an interview that Ryan Tubridy conducted with Maurice for RTE Radio 1 here: (include link)