SISTER ACT
WILDFIRE I Cathy Brady sets the screens ablaze with her debut…
Five years in the making, Cathy Brady’s feature debut Wildfire has left its director feeling a rollercoaster of emotions. Set on the Northern Ireland and Republic border during the Brexit negotiations, this story about two estranged sisters – starring Nora-Jane Noone and Nika McGuigan – has already been critically acclaimed. Brady even won the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award at last year’s London Film Festival.
The £50,000 prize felt “like a shelter in the storm,” she tells Teasers. “It’s been a godsend.” Finishing the film in Covid times has been hard enough, but this was compounded by a shocking tragedy during post-production. McGuigan – daughter to boxing legend Barry – died suddenly, aged 33, after a brief battle with cancer.
“We were very close friends,” says Brady. “And it was very fast. I was in the middle of post-production. And we hadn’t even got anywhere near picturelock at this stage. It was five weeks from when she wasn’t feeling well until she died.” Brady, understandably, took time off afterwards to process the loss. “It’s a film that deals with grief, and to be making the film while experiencing the biggest grief of my life was very surreal.”
Wildfire sees a remarkable turn by McGuigan, who plays wildcard Kelly,
missing for a year when she returns to sister Lauren’s life. Brady had been inspired in part by sisters Ursula and Sabrina Eriksson, whose unhinged behaviour led to the documentary Madness In The Fast Lane. “There was something very striking about these two sisters who had a shared psychosis, bringing themselves to the brink.”
While Brady has spent the last months touring festivals virtually, she now has the chance to share it with audiences when cinemas re-open. Watching it with others will feel like an emotional tribute to McGuigan. “She worked so hard for this character,” says Brady. “She scrutinised it, and she loved her. I can’t wait for people to see that legacy she’s left everyone with.” JM
ETA 18 JUNE / WILDFIRE OPENS IN TWO MONTHS.