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“An opaque, slow-burning but brilliant thriller about the compulsions of terrorism.” - The Guardian

Oscar-winning filmmaker James Marsh (Man on Wire, MIFF 08; Project Nim, MIFF 11) returns with a fictional feature in this nail-biting thriller.

Starring Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough and The X-Files' Gillian Anderson, Shadow Dancer sees a single mother, Collette, living in Belfast with her hardline IRA brothers. When Collette is arrested for her part in a bomb plot, an MI5 officer brokers her a deal: lose everything and go to prison or return home and spy on your family.

In a carefully considered manner, Marsh reveals a talent for building drama, tension and plot, without falling back on unnecessary exposition.

“[Shadow Dancer shows] a textural affinity with the worn-out fabric and blurry moral universe of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, but with a decidedly tauter hold on pace.” - The Telegraph

Rated M

D James Marsh P Chris Coen, Andrew Lowe, Ed Guiney S Tom Bradby Dist Potential Films TD DCP/2012