David McCann has previously produced short films on the RIC and now wants to embark on his most ambitious project yet having already cast actors and earmarked a host of locations across county Tyrone.
Despite being turned down for financial help by three funding bodies, McCann is keen to push ahead with his production and is holding a fundraising night on October 15 at the Westville Hotel in Enniskillen at 7.30pm in a bid to start filming in the coming months.
Filmmaker David McCann
His three previous films no longer than 15 minutes – one of which won the Spotlight Award for Short film – centre around the fictitious RIC Sergeant Collins, who is also the subject of McCann’s most latest book The Green Fella.
The 53-year-old is using sales from the book, which can be purchased on Amazon, to help fund the project and plans to donate any money left over to the Air Ambulance charity and the Bright Eyes Animal Sanctuary in Fermanagh.
Until 1922 the RIC were the police force in Ireland before being replaced by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland and Garda Síochána in the Republic of Ireland.
McCann told the Belfast Telegraph: “The film is going to be 120 minutes and will be set between 1920 and 1922. It will mostly be filmed in Tyrone and there are a few locations in county Monaghan.
“I’ve organised the cast and crew, the extras, uniforms, equipment, vehicles and the locations and I’m ready to go. I just need help with the funding.”
“I’m not doing it for political reasons. I’m doing it for historical reasons.
He added: “I am involved with an American Kickstarter crowdfunding programme and hopefully we can raise money through sales of my book and on the fundraising night in Enniskillen.
“It’s important to me to make the film to tell the story of the Royal Irish Constabulary from their perspective in the 1920s and attempt to redraw the balance of historical perspectives towards the organisation.
“I’m not doing it for political reasons. I’m doing it for historical reasons.
“Also there’s a lot of people relying on me like those who own the vehicles that would be involved in the film and people that own some of the locations. I feel I’ve let them down a little by not getting funding from the various organisations and think I have a duty to them to finish the project after I’d promised them that I was making a film.”
Mr McCann, who was once a Garda reserve, added: “I had no family members in the RIC but I used to read about it and found it interesting, and thought there’s a story in that.”
The Enniskillen man plans to direct and produce the film and says he is inspired by legendary Hollywood directors David Lean and John Ford.
“I’d love to get started before the end of this year though my aim is to do most of the filming in February and March next year,” added McCann.
Filmmaker David McCann
News Catch Up – Sunday 5 October
“It would be an intense schedule. We could be up at five in the morning filming to nine o’clock in the evening some nights.
“My previous films are on YouTube and I’m hoping once this one is made to screen it on other platforms. I’m very passionate about it and am determined to get it done.”