GARAGE - The Collaboration - The Director Talks - Casting - Writing and Producing - Pat Talks
The Collaboration             Lenny and Mark’s first feature together and individually, Adam & Paul, was released in August 2004 and quickly became a critical and box office hit in Ireland. It went on to win accolades in Ireland and internationally. Garage is their second collaboration.

The Roots of the Idea Lenny : «The idea for the script came from Mark. We were talking about various things and he told me these amalgamations of stories that had been on his mind. We both felt that this should be the territory of the next film that we’d make.» How the collaboration works Lenny : «The style we have was hammered out at my kitchen table over many weeks and months talking through the meaning, structure and scene style of Adam & Paul and then in the shooting of it. When it came to Garage I think we both had a really internal understanding of our territory. We discussed the idea. Mark went away and wrote the script. We edited it and talked more and Mark reworked it. Then I took it and made it. But the result is absolutely still an alloy of the two of us.» Mark : «The idea for Garage was something that excited Lenny and I know when he’s taken by something. We discuss all aspects of it - what films are relevant and the shape ours could take. We both learn a huge amount from each other and understand each other’s work. It’s a true collaboration.

Why the collaboration works Ed (Element Pictures) : «Lenny and Mark have an incredibly exciting and vital collaboration. It’s very hard to analyse what makes their process so successful; Mark offers up incredibly real, honest, unique characterizations and stories. The characters he creates are sublime - so rich, complex and original. While you recognise them, you’ve never seen them before. Lenny has an incredibly instinctive yet rigorous approach to film making and understands precisely how to focus on the heart of a piece and bring it to life, creating work of immense beauty and power.» Lenny and Mark have plans to continue their collaboration, supported by Element (co-producer of Win that shakes the Barley by Ken Loach, Palme d’or 2006 Cannes film Festival), into the future. Prosperity, four one-hour dramas, written by Mark and directed by Lenny, is currently in production. Two further projects by the team are in development.