Turning Green

Turning Green (2005)

The Irish countryside will never be the same

Set in late 1970s Ireland, it tells the story of 16-year-old James Powers, an American who finds himself lost after his mother dies and he is forced to live with his three Irish aunts. Displaced and depressed, he longs for a way to make it back to America. One lucky weekend in London, James discovers pornography and, desperate for cash, he decides to sell them back in Ireland. His success spreads wildly. After finding a possible way home, he must decide where home really is, and finds that one's place in the world is all a state of mind.

Date of release
2005-06-11
TMDB
6.1 / 10 (12)
Runtime
1h 25m
Genres
Drama, Action, Comedy
Director
Michael Aimette, John G. Hofmann

Casting

Interesting facts

Turning Green is a 2005 black comedy film written and directed by Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann. The script was a runner-up in the original Project Greenlight on HBO. Donal Gallery stars as James Powers, a displaced American teenager living in Ireland in 1979 who discovers girlie magazines on a random trip to London. He illegally imports magazines, changing his fortunes and perspective on life in Ireland. The tagline for the film is "Turning Green. The tale of a boy, a country, and a box of porn."

Production

Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann first co-wrote the script and submitted it to the first season of HBO's TV series Project Greenlight, which was created to give first-time writers a chance to direct their own film. The script made the final round of 30 and from that, gave the script greater exposure in Hollywood.

However, unhappy with the producer's cut and how the film was being marketed, Aimette and Hofmann created a director's cut which is more comedic and with a different ending. The new version of the film was screened at The Craic Film Festival in 2007 and won the Audience Award.

In 2009, New Films International made their foray into the US domestic distribution market and Turning Green received a limited release in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in November, 2009. New Films opted for the original cut of the movie, due to the expense of re-finishing the directors' version.

Casting the role of James was essential, as he appears in virtually every scene of the movie. After a few weeks of unsuccessfully searching for the perfect balance between adult and child, the 17-year-old Donal Gallery auditioned for the role. He was given the role of James Powers on the spot. Never having acted professionally before, Gallery's performance was subsequently greeted with terrific reviews.

The American actor Alessandro Nivola is cast as Bill the Bookie, who brought a fey, soft-accented element to what could have been a typical "bad guy" role. Another American, Timothy Hutton, is almost unrecognizable as Bill the Breaker, and he embraced the role of gruff Irish enforcer fully. Colm Meaney, a celebrity throughout Ireland, was cast as James' only friend Tom.

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