ONCE GOES OUT TO THE WORLD
Director John Carney said of its slow beginnings on the film festival circuit, "Toronto turned it down. Edinburgh turned it down. Telluride turned it down."
Finally, a rough cut of ONCE played at two festivals (last year), one in Galway, Ireland, the other in the Czech Republic.
Sundance programmer John Nein caught it at the Galway festival and became a fan.
And then came Sundance! ONCE went on to win the "World Cinema Audience Award" in the dramatic category at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival and made the stars and the director in many attendants' eyes the toast of Park City.
It later took another "Audience Award" at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
John Carney: "For a little film like this, Sundance was ideal. We lucked out to a degree because most of the films on show are dark, they're all about Americans reacting to what's happened in the last few years. Our film was a breath of fresh air."
Glen Hansard: "I wasn't really keen on going because I was tired after all the touring last year with The Frames, and I wasn't sure if there was any point in me and Marketa going, I didn't think we would be needed. My expectations were completely wrong. After every screening, we got a standing ovation and we played a few songs. People kept asking where they could get the soundtrack, which we're going to release properly. The reviews started coming in and they were all positive. It was one of those wild, wild experiences."
In conclusion...
Glen: "The original game plan is so different to what it has become. It is overwhelming actually. Originally we were saying we will make it for as little as possible, we will knock out a DVD, we will show it at Frames gigs, we will do a little tour of Ireland and hopefully Frames fans will buy it and we will make our money back. So its beginnings were completely and utterly humble."
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