THE ESSENCE OF EVA

Synopsis

Featuring previously unheard songs and exclusive archival footage, THE ESSENCE OF EVA paints a vivid portrait of legendary singer, Eva Cassidy, from the perspective of her family, friends and fellow musicians. A woman whose soulful voice transcended genres, captivating audiences with its purity and emotional resonance. Her interpretations of classic songs, such as “Over the Rainbow” and “Fields of Gold,” are explored in depth, showcasing her ability to breathe new life into familiar tunes with her stirring voice. A heart-tugging story about a talent gone too soon.

Credits

Awards

Festivals

Film Details

Biography

Alex Fegan is an Irish filmmaker who left a career as a lawyer in 2008 to pursue his childhood dream of filmmaking. He is the founder of Atom Films, and has made some of Ireland’s best-loved documentaries including Older Than Ireland, The Irish Pub, Sins of Ireland and Am I Here? He also directed The Toy Shop (2021, RTÉ), which aired on RTÉ during prime time on Christmas Day in Ireland, The Confessors (2022 BBC & RTÉ) and The Omagh Hum (2024, BBC Our Lives and True North), achieving UK-wide ratings of over 1.4 million viewers. He also directed The Irish Wedding (2022, RTÉ, Screen Ireland directed by Alex Fegan), earned an RTS Award nomination. Older Than Ireland, The Irish Pub & Sins of Ireland were released theatrically in Ireland and the UK by Element Pictures Distribution, and in North America through Landmark Cinemas (USA) and Rainbow Cinemas (Canada), where they screened in over 25 cities for six months. Older Than Ireland also saw a successful release in New Zealand and Australia through Limelight Distribution, playing in over 40 cinemas and becoming one of the highest-grossing Irish documentaries of all time and becoming a HMV Number 1 Bestseller for DVD sales in 2015. The Irish Pub made ‘Popular’ on Netflix in North America, Australia & New Zealand, reaching a huge audience internationally. It was also sold to Amazon, Hulu and Apple and is the longest playing Irish film on Aer Lingus (12 years continuously). Sins of Ireland also played theatrically in Ireland to universal acclaim.

Malcolm Willis is an English director who has lived in Co Kerry in the south of Ireland for over 25 years. He entered the world of film later in life having worked as a Fireman and Police Detective in the UK. He made his first feature documentary in 2019, Kilimanjaro Mama (Writer/Director), which went on to win Best Feature at its premiere in Kerry International film festival October 2019. The film was a story of how a young Irish woman transformed the lives of a group of orphaned children in Tanzania and how she became their Kilimanjaro Mama. After that, he wrote, directed and produced Blowins, which looked at a rural town, Dingle, situated on the edge of the harsh Atlantic, with a strong Irish language culture. It also happens to have a foreign popular of nearly 30% - the locals refer to these individuals as “blow-Ins". This is the story of why they came, and why they decided to stay. The film was an Oficial selection at Galway film Fleadh, 2022 and premiered on RTÉ One, September, 2022. He is currently producing two further Irish subject documentaries.