Bring them down and the apprentice shine at tiff!

We are incredibly grateful to have two of our films, Bring Them Down and The Apprentice, feature at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival!

On September 8th, Bring Them Down had its long-awaited premiere at TIFF, where cast members Barry Keoghan, Christopher Abbott, Colm Meaney, and Nora-Jane Noone graced the red carpet alongside writer-director Chris Andrews and the team from Tailored Films, and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Jacob Swan Hyam. Set against the raw, untamed backdrop of rural Ireland, Bring Them Down explores complex themes of toxic masculinity, generational trauma, and survival. With powerful performances from Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan, coupled with Chris Andrews’ sensitive direction, the film received a great audience reception and was met with positive reviews that have been so heartening to read. The film has been a long labour of love that we are extremely proud of. We were fortunate to work with an incredible director and co-producers who believed in this vision from the start, and we’ve cherished every moment of the journey toward its theatrical release in early 2025.

Fresh from its US debut at Telluride Film Festival, The Apprentice was a late addition to the TIFF lineup with an industry screening and a subsequent gala event, which was attended by many of our crew and creative partners. The film had its official premiere at Cannes earlier this year, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. Directed by the visionary genius Ali Abbasi, written by Gabriel Sherman and starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, the film follows Trump’s rise to power in the 1970s and ’80s under the mentorship of the infamous lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.

Seeing both films so warmly received on the international stage has reminded us of the importance of staying true to the stories we are compelled to tell. The support and enthusiasm at TIFF reaffirmed the incredible teamwork behind both films and we are deeply thankful for everyone involved—from the cast and crew to our production partners—and for the opportunity to share these projects with the world. We also were delighted to secure travel support from Culture Ireland to travel to Toronto along with some of our team members.

Following TIFF, Bring Them Down and The Apprentice have featured on several “best of” lists. Both are included in the 13 Best Movies of 2024 Toronto International Film Festival list for Parade, and Bring Them Down received great coverage in Vogue as one of the 9 New Movies from TIFF to get excited about! Bring Them Down was also referred to as The Godfather “with a load of sheep” by Collider in a review of the film, which describes the piece as “a quiet, simmering allegory for the ruthlessness of war.”

An official release date for Bring Them Down will be announced soon, however The Apprentice will reach US theatres on October 11th, while Irish and UK audiences (as well as select international viewers) can enjoy the film on the big screen from October 18th. In the meantime, you can watch the official trailer for ‘The Apprentice’ here!