Wildfire in NI cinemas: Nika McGuigan’s last role is a must-see

‘Wildfire’ is Newry director Cathy Brady’s first full-length feature starring Nika alongside Nora-Jane Noone as ‘Irish twins’ living on the border.

When one of the sisters, who has been missing, finally returns home, the intense bond with her sibling is reignited. Together they unearth their mother’s past but uncover secrets and resentments which have been buried deep, that threaten to overwhelm them.

Of her IFTA-winning film Cathy said: “The film itself deals with grief, it deals with a family on the border and a tragedy within that family due to the Troubles.

“When I was writing the film I hadn’t really experienced any major, major grief in my life and then unfortunately during post-production when Nika passed away I was really confronted with a major loss.

“The film became much rawer and closer to home than I ever imagined it could.”

Danika McGuigan passed away in 2019, aged 33, after a short but extremely courageous battle with cancer.

Her final role in ‘Wildfire’ can be seen in Omniplex cinemas across Northern Ireland as of today.

Cathy said: “This is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. The performances are really special, especially this being Nika’s last one. It’s quite clear she’s given everything in her performance.

“I struggle to find the language to explain what this film means to me and the journey I’ve been on.

“I feel like I’ve lived 10 lifetimes making this film. I’m incredibly proud of it and I’m incredibly proud of Nika and Nora-Jane – their incredible energy and courage. They’re fierce women.”

She added: “We’ve seen so many films about the Troubles with a male gaze. This is a film about female characters and a female perspective that hasn’t been explored.

“It’s not about some kind of physical violence, it’s about something that’s much more complicated and darker. It’s about internal violence. These characters are forced to face characters from their past that are in their present.”

Describing a town on the border, such as Newry where she grew up, Cathy said: “It’s staggeringly beautiful, but with dark undertones. The border is a pathologically secretive place where the truth is dangerous.”

She said the film was a showcase for the Province: “Shot across a number of locations in Northern Ireland including Belfast, Newry and Downpatrick, it was really important to me to showcase the beauty and tragedy of our local environment.

“We’re so grateful we’re getting a cinematic release. We’re not taking it for granted.”

‘Wildfire’ is produced by David Collins for Samson Films, Charles Steel for Cowboy Films and Carlo Cresta-Dina for Tempesta Film.

An Irish-UK co-production, the film is supported by the BFI, Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and the Wellcome Trust.

It is brought to the screen by Wildcard Distribution, who have released some of the biggest Irish titles of the last few years including ‘Black 47’, ‘The Young Offenders’, ‘Cardboard Gangsters’ and the Oscar-nominated ‘Wolfwalkers’.

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