On September 9, the DGA screened Director Frank Berry's documentary Ballymun Lullaby at the Guild's theater complex in Los Angeles.
Ballymun Lullaby, tells the story of Ron Cooney, a music teacher working in the infamous Ballymun Flats, the Republic of Ireland's only high-rise housing estate which became a symbol of poverty, drugs, alienation from the state and social problems in the 1970s. The young people of Ballymun have had an extraordinary experience as the area underwent a dramatic transformation, including the demolition of six of its seven tower blocks. Working with composer Daragh O'Toole, Cooney sets out to produce a collection of music that gives voice to their story. His ambition is to create a world class collection of music for his students to play and write lyrics for, and challenge the negative views many still hold of the area.
Ballymun Lullaby was presented by the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland as part of the annual DGA/SDGI Director’s Finder Screening Series. This program was created on the model of the DGA’s Director's Finder Series, which spotlights undistributed low budget and/or independent feature films directed by DGA members. Ballymun Lullaby marks the 7th year of the DGA/SDGI screenings.
Following the screening, Berry participated in a Q&A session moderated by SDGI member Marcus Fox and also answered questions with the film’s composer and onscreen subject Daragh O'Toole.