Heresy premieres new film The Island of Saints by director Eric Fraad

The Island of Saints movie award laurels

The Island of Saints is a new ground-breaking feature length music film by director Eric Fraad inspired by the medieval/jazz fusion ensemble Anakronos’ highly-acclaimed album, The Red Book of Ossory and its backstory.

The Island of Saints oscillates between three types of scenes; music performance scenes of Anakronos performing music from The Red Book of Ossory, scenes dramatising the infamous witch hunt and trial of Dame Alice Kyteler in 1324 and the burning of her servant Petronilla de Meath and hallucinatory music videos that engage with philosophical themes in the songs from The Red Book of Ossory.

Irish Screenings

Saturday, 12th February at 3pm: Wexford Arts Centre
Wednesday, 23rd February at 730pm: Project Arts Centre
Sunday, 6th March at 8pm: Birr Theatre & Arts Centre

Written, Produced & Directed by Eric Fraad
Music Director – Caitríona O’Leary
Producer – Karina Lundström
Executive Producer, Paula Heil Fisher
Director of Photography – Martin Mai
Costumes Designer – Monica Ennis
Edited by Martin Mai
Art Direction – David McDermott
Hair and Makeup Design – Tee Elliot
Recorded by Alex Borwick

Anakronos
Caitríona O’Leary, Voice
Nick Roth, Soprano Saxophone, Recorders, Percussion
Deirdre O’Leary, Clarinets, Percussion
Greg Felton, Nord Synthesizer, Percussion
Mel Mercier, Percussion

Dramatis Personae
Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory – Raymond Keane
Petronilla de Meath, The Virgin Mary – Megan O’Malley
Dame Alice Kyteler – Caitríona O’Leary
William Outlaw – Ethan Dillon
Artisson – Vitor Bassi
Dominican Friar, Assistant to Artisson – Michael Cooney
Dominican Friar, Assistant to Artisson – Gavan O’Connor Duffy

Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, Begin Together Arts Fund (Bank of Ireland / Business to Arts), Fingal County Council, Heresy Films.

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Reviews for THE RED BOOK OF OSSORY & ANAKRONOS

★★★★★ – Michael Dervan, The Irish Times

“A work of singular genius…This brilliant suite of songs practices its own witchcraft, seducing you straightaway with its beauty.” – ArtMuseLondon

“Absolutely extraordinary… One of the Best Albums I’ve Heard This Year. Musically the gang are firing on all cylinders; thematically it’s fascinating; and historically it is horrifying and illuminating in equal measure… Wonderful music, fascinatingly presented” – Bernard Clarke, RTÉ Lyric fm ‘In the Blue of the Night Show’

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