Most recent productions:

Bray - A Reminder The first meeting took place on March 15th just before lockdown in Ireland. However it didn’t stop online production meetings thereafter. Bray - A Reminder , written by playwright David Doyle , was adapted into a screenplay by Rita-Marie Lawlor after a strong bond with the story and the character of Mary-Jane, played beautifully by Dublin actress Justine O’Rourke and guest starring the talented Tommy O’Neill. The film was made in September 2020, just before the second lockdown. Set all along the stunning Bray seafront the three day shoot went wonderfully well and the weather played a blinder too!. The film focuses on bereavement and poignancy as the life of a woman who’s world has been turned upside down,

Produced and directed by Rita-Marie Lawlor, the edit was done remotely with John King, with soundtrack provided by Barry O’Connell and the up and coming duo Saint Sister.

Natural Born Strugglers Tells the story of three women who share a house in Dublin.Ali – a documentary filmmaker from California, became homeless shortly after graduating from college. Unable to find a home in expensive Dublin, until eventually meeting up with her two former media student friends – Mel, a photo journalist covering the arts and is aiming to be the next Jo Whiley, and Josie – a singer songwriter with her musical partner and guitarist Ronnie, they gig at small venues and promote themselves on local radio. With rent soaring as well as their ambitions, the ladies do what they can to survive. Josie works in a shop by day and for most part cleans up dog mess from outside. Ali relies on grants and part time freelance work to get by while Mel gets to photograph and highlight a man who is claiming to be the son of Irish rock legend Phil Lynott amongst other things. From their twisted jobs and stranger clients, to a mix of ex's and newbies re-appearing, Mel can't find anyone so she snogs her new media boss instead while Josie's on/off fella Mick is as slick as they come and Ali's fella Jon shares his apartment with his ex-girlfriend, but insists to Ali that she is just a friend who he is helping out by paying her to do his cooking and laundry...

Episode one covers many of these scenarios. Lots of journeys and uncertain circumstances. A dark comedy with twists of real life turmoil, tackling issues such as homelessness and mental health while also throwing in some quirky situations that the ladies find themselves in. There are five more episodes written, and the aim now is to get commission to make them all. Some beautiful scenery from the Dublin Mountains, the Phoenix Park, as well as Palmerstown House bar and restaurant, Near FM radio station, houses in Tallaght and Terenure, and Newcastle Service Station.Episode One is currently being pitched to commissioning editors and producers.

Patrick Hughes was the D.O.P. And it was filmed on RED Gemini 5K using Anamorphic lenses.

Main cast is Justine O'Rourke (Josie) Rita-Marie Lawlor (Mel) and Ashlie Christie (Ali)
Other cast members in episode one include stand up comedian Eric Lalor, DJ Robbie Kane, Brian Gallagher, Bernie Fitzgerald, Leah Carruth, Oksana Lobanova, Teri Fitzgerald, Barry John Kinsella, Michele Burton, Gerry Wade, Steve Hartland, Sharon Skerritt, Andrew Keeling. Future episodes will see Fair City actor Tommy O'Neill and more names to be added onto the list.

Please like the page to support the Strugglers and help get the rest of the episodes made! @naturalbornstrugglers on Facebook!

Danny Johnson - Journey of an MMA Fighter. Filmed in Belfast in just two days in October 2018. Danny is now on the film festival journey!. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVjjgZMhdmg Starring Timothy Fergusson and Alex Oros as the leads.

Des and Peggy short film which premiered at Indie Cork in 2018 and also screened at the Moscow Film Festival in the same year. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEiYRWA1X2Q Starring Tommy O’Neill and Michele Burton as the leads with a selection of great actors in the mix.

In the pipeline:

Feature:  Butterfly-  A dark drama. Bronagh is the manager of a welding company. When she catches her husband - Jim - a high flying lawyer in a sordid act, she decides to take matters into her own hands with disastrous consequences (Writer: Rita-Marie Lawlor). 

Feature:  Little House On The Corner - A black comedy drama based on the ups and downs of a working class family, the McEvoys, from Dublin and the drama that unfolds with the somewhat "innocent and loveable but keeps ending up in trouble" type, Toby. 
(Writer: Rita-Marie Lawlor).

Short: Think - An animal rights script which takes a look into the fur trade, the meat trade, animal experimentation and how people are in the dark about what is really going on and the lack of animal welfare. "You can't tell people what to do - but you can encourage them to think,  to take action and stand up for the voiceless". The script reached the finals at the Waterford Film Festival 2013. 
(Writer: Rita-Marie Lawlor)