New film from Dromineer director

There's notable local interest in a new blockbuster film out this year, a true crime thriller about an Irish actor who beats at sophisticated scammer at their own game.

‘Kiss of the Con Queen’ is the latest feast of entertainment served by De Warrenne Pictures, the production company founded by award-winning international filmmaker Tom Waller.

Tom grew up in Dromineer, coming from the well-known Waller family that has been for generations synonymous with sailing on Lough Derg. He is perhaps best known for ‘The Cave’ (2019), his widely-acclaimed dramatisation of the rescue of 12 children from a flooded cave in Thailand. Tom’s recreation of that incredible feat starred cave diver Jim Warny, who spoke about his key role in the rescue as part of Dive Ireland International Expo, which was hosted that year in Nenagh.

For his latest film, Tom turned to Cloughjordan resident Patrick Bergin to guest star as the loving father of Eoin O’Brien, an actor living in Bangkok, who is led to believe that a powerful female Hollywood studio executive wants to consider him for a leading role in an upcoming movie.

O’Brien is lured to Indonesia for an audition, only to find out that the whole thing is an elaborate scam in which he is forced to front thousands of dollars for flights and permits, on the promise of being reimbursed by the studio. However, after uniting with other victims and identifying the true identity of the criminal mastermind behind the long-running scam, the actor ends up conning the ‘Con Queen’ into giving him exactly what he wants – the breakthrough role he was falsely promised.

The film was inspired by O’Brien’s own real misadventures in Jakarta, where the devious executive turned out to be an Indonesian male suspect. Tom was drawn to O’Brien’s story and had collaborated with him on several movies before, including ‘The Cave’.

‘RIVETING, TRUE AND POWERFUL FILM’

American actor Ravi Patel (‘Wonder Woman 1984’, ‘Animal Patrol’) gives an uncanny performance as the cross-dressing villain. Francis Magee, whom many will recognise from ‘Game of Thrones’ and hit Irish crime series ‘Kin’, also appears in the film alongside Patrick Bergin (‘Sleeping with the Enemy’, ‘Patriot Games’), who spoke of how he enjoyed collaborating with the Dromineer director.

“Working on this riveting, true and powerful film was an honour,” he said. “Watch out for Eoin O’Brien. He is a force!”

For Tom Waller, the Cloughjordan star made the perfect fit for his new film. “When we were looking for the right actor to play the doting father of the Hollywood hopeful, portrayed by Eoin O'Brien in the film, I could think of no better person than Patrick Bergin, with more than 100 credits to his name. It was a pleasure working with such an accomplished screen legend.”

He added: “I was delighted to reunite with Francis Magee too, who was IFTA-nominated for his role in ‘Kin’ earlier this year. We had worked together years ago on a project called ‘Butterfly Man’ - he was perfect as a local pub loan shark in this movie.”

CARNEY ANCESTRY

Tom always wanted to be a filmmaker, a storyteller. Born in Bangkok, he has fond memories of spending summers back at the homestead in Dromineer, which has been in his family for the last hundred years.

“The filmmaker in me was always making little films around the place with a little Cine 8 camera,” he said. “I think I have the films in a cupboard somewhere!”

Tom's father was also born abroad, in India. He was working in Asia during the 1970s when he met Tom's mother, at the time an air stewardess for Thai Airways, on a plane. Tom describes Dromineer as the “toehold” his family still retains in Ireland, because over recent generations they have been scattered all over the world.

But delving even further back, he can trace his family line to Carney as far back as the sixteenth century. The original Waller House was at Prior Park, Carney.

“I'm probably the 14th or 15th generation of Waller to be from this part of the country,” he remarked. “All our family members are buried in the one place. No matter where they are, they always come back to Ireland!

“The family will always have its roots here, and I think that's important for any mixed heritage, mixed culture family that's living around the world, that you've still got somewhere that you can call home.”

Tom's partner Katy – a former actress, who helps him with scriptwriting – and his four children – two boys and two girls; the girls were born here – have continued the family legacy of sailing.

Tom is also carrying on business acumen established by his forebears, which included the marina at Dromineer and the Ormond Garage in Nenagh. He speaks with pride of taking his kids to visit Nenagh Heritage Centre and showing them the display of receipts signed by Ormond Garage proprietor EH Waller, their great-great grandfather.

“That for them suddenly made them realise that ‘oh, we are from around here’!”

EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Having already won the Best International Feature Film award at the Sunscreen Film Festival in Florida earlier this year, Tom Waller will present his eagerly-awaited ‘Kiss of the Con Queen’ at the 36th Galway Film Fleadh on Wednesday, July 10. It will be screened at 8pm at the Pálás Cinema as an exclusive European Premiere.

Further details can be found at www.kissoftheconqueen.com.