Sofia International Film Festival

Paul Fraser– My Brothers is your debut feature film as a director, but you have been also working as an actor and screenwriter – was it difficult for you to make this film?

I feel like I have spent many years hanging around on film sets so although it was my debut it was by no means an alien environment. I was surrounded by a fantastic crew and three first time actors, so there was a perfect blend of experience and awe! We had a small budget and a short shoot so the main problems was trying to do everything we wanted to do each day. We had intense weather to deal with too.

Perhaps the thing I was not prepared for was the sheer intensity of directing, the exhaustion compared to the first few weeks of having a baby!

– What is the story that you want to represent in My Brothers – is it typical Irish story or it is understandable for every kind of audience?

It’s a story of three brothers finding their dynamic, responsibilities and the imminent loss of a father. For me it is a universal story. Moments, customs nuances and may be based in Ireland and it’s culture, and the experiences of Will Collins the scriptwriter, but the film should be able to play to audiences all over the world.

Read the whole interview at our festival's site http://siff.bg/index.php?page=news&id=246

10 March 2011