| Don't Talk to Irene | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pat Mills |
| Written by | Pat Mills |
| Produced by | Alyson Richards Mike MacMillan |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Paul Sarossy |
| Edited by | Tiffany Beaudin |
| Music by | Erica Procunier |
Production companies | Alyson Richards Productions Lithium Studios |
| Distributed by | Search Engine Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 minutes[1] |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Don't Talk to Irene is a 2017 Canadian comedy film[2] written and directed by Pat Mills. It premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[3]
The film centres on Irene (Michelle McLeod), an overweight and unpopular high school student who wishes to be a cheerleader. After being suspended from school, Irene is sent to a retirement home as punishment. She decides to indulge her passion for cheerleading by enrolling a group of senior citizens for a dance competition.[2] The film's cast also includes Bruce Gray, Anastasia Phillips, Scott Thompson, and Geena Davis.[2]
Mills won the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Pitch This! competition for emerging film directors in 2008 for the film's original pitch,[4] and the film's screenplay won the award for Best Comedy Screenplay at the 2013 Austin Film Festival.[5] However, Mills made Guidance (2015) as his feature film debut before proceeding with Don't Talk to Irene, which entered production in 2016.[2] It went on to win both the Comedy Vanguard Award and Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival,[6] the Audience Choice at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival[7] and the Galet d'Or at the 5th Canadian film festival of Dieppe, France.[8] In June 2018, Don't Talk to Irene won two Canadian Comedy Awards: Best Feature and Best Writing in a Feature.[9]
Don't Talk to Irene received a limited release at Cineplex Yonge-Dundas in Toronto on September 29, 2017, by Search Engine Films.[10] In the United States, the film was released on March 2, 2018, by Gravitas Ventures.[11]
