Film inspired by women Jimmy grew up with in Ballyfermot

“The inspiration for the story came from the extraordinary women I grew up with in Ballyfermot whose resilience, intelligence and sense of hope despite the difficulties of the times that we were experiencing in 1970s Ireland left an indelible mark on my life”.

“I wanted this film to pay homage to them, their faith and the community,” states Ballyfermot-born actor and screenwriter Jimmy Smallhorne when asked about what inspired the story for his film ‘The Miracle Club’, which will be screened at the Ballyfermot Civic Centre this evening.

Jimmy goes on to state that as a filmmaker, he has felt working-class culture and women in particular were rarely depicted on screen with the complexity that he experienced growing up. “Mothers who raised my generation had to be doctors, economists, cooks, mediators, enforcers and comforters amongst a myriad of roles required to raise families of 8, 10, 12 and even 15 children.”

He fondly remembers highlights of the production, including watching Maggie Smith, Cathy Bates and Laura Linney recreate the women from Ballyfermot.

They met at a hotel to sit down and discuss the characters one day, and he was “deeply touched” at the reverence, respect and thoroughness of their research. Although because of budgetary reasons they couldn’t recreate Ballyfermot in the film and had to create a fictitious street, “ultimately the essence of the women was embedded in the characters that these Academy Award-winning actresses created.”

The next project that he wants to make is a film called the ‘make up party.’ It’s about a group of working-class swimmers having a make-up party where conflicts arise and secrets are revealed.

Jimmy would like to thank the neighbours of his street for the inspiration for the film, but this film took over 20 years to get made, and “there were a lot of people who helped to get it done. Especially Joan Allen, the actress who was a very early supporter.”