Dare To Be Wild Film about Gold Medal Winner Mary Reynolds Launches at RHS Chelsea Flower Show TODAY

Today the award-winning film DARE TO BE WILD will launch at the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The launch marks a call to action to bring wild nature back into that little space we ourselves control – our own gardens.

The film follows Mary Reynolds’ adventures from the green hills of Ireland, to the desert highlands of Ethiopia, to London's Chelsea for the garden design competition of 2002. DARE TO BE WILD is the against-all-odds story of a modern-day heroine, whose quest is to show the world the power of wild nature as she reaches for her dreams - one garden, one vast desert, at a time.

The heart of this true romantic adventure is Mary Reynolds’ quest to win the gold medal at the 2002 Chelsea Flower Show with her ‘wild’ Celtic Sanctuary garden design, and the filmmakers’ goal of preserving and re-generating natural habitats worldwide. DARE TO BE WILD will be released in UK and Irish cinemas from 26th August.

The film has a stellar cast lead by Emma Greenwell (Love and Friendship, and Pride and Prejudice and Vampires) as Mary Reynolds and Tom Hughes _(The Game, About Time, Cemetery Junction) _as Christy Collard. Also starring is Alex Macqueen (Youth, Four Lions, I Give it a Year, The Hide), Janie Dee (Me and Orson Welles, Little White lies), Christine Marzano (Seven Psychopaths, Byzantium, Paranoia), Alaa Safi _(A Prophet, Traitor, Chinese Zodiac, From Paris With Love) _and Michael Hough (Grabbers, The Scarlet Worm, A Nightingale Falling).

Director/Writer Vivienne de Courcy said “Dare to be Wild asks us to take a leap of faith to support the wild by inviting nature into our own back yards – let’s throw a lifeline to the wilderness.”

Keep up-to-date with DARE TO BE WILD on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

#DareToBeWild

DARE TO BE WILD will be in UK & Irish cinemas from 26th August

Biographies

Vivienne deCourcy – Director/Writer
Vivienne deCourcy is an Irish writer, director and environmentalist whose goal is to change the world through the medium of powerful films which elevate the human spirit and inspire people to act. She has written 17 screenplays on various humanity related themes. After years as a corporate finance attorney in Chicago while working projects like Art and the Brain, and the Clinton Campaign for President. Vivienne recently directed her first feature due for release in Spring 2016. DARE TO BE WILD, a romantic adventure story about a young Irish landscape designer and a British botanist, who believe we can preserve and re-generate wild nature – and in so doing – save ourselves. She believes that if we experience the atmosphere of wild nature in our own back yard we will be more likely to protect the wilderness.

Sarah Johnson, Producer
A former Portfolio Manager at Franklin Templeton, Ms. Johnson left the financial services firm to launch Spike & Annie, a children's clothing company. Educated at St. Lawrence University and the University of San Francisco, Ms. Johnson has dedicated herself to education, science, and conservation. She recently spearheaded the drive to build a $40M state-of-the-art science facility for St. Lawrence. A Trustee of St. Lawrence, she has also served as Vice-Chair of the Capital Campaign, and served as Vice-Chair of the Architecture and Physical Plant. Ms. Johnson advances science-based environmental legislation as the Chair, National Affairs and Legislation, for the Hillsborough Chapter of the Garden Club of America. At Conservation International, she is a member of the Chairman's Council. Ms. Johnson also serves in an advisory capacity at the board level for other non-profit organizations. Film Credits include The Invisible War, The Devil’s Knot, The Immigrant and Oscar Winner “Birdman.”

Rebecca O’Flanagan, Robert Walpole Producers
Rebecca and Rob jointly run Treasure Entertainment. Their most recent productions include Phil Harrisson’s The Good Man, Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburnn’s BAFTA nominated Good Vibrations and Primeval Series 5. Other credits include My Brothers, TV series Your Bad Self, The Eclipse which screened in competition at Tribeca Film Festival winning Best Actor for Ciaran Hinds. The Film also won Best European Film at The Sitges Film Festival (2009) and Best Film at the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards (2010). They also produced he award winning television series The Running Mate and the films Shrooms, The Mighty Celt, Man About Dog, Saltwater and I Went Down. In 2013 Treasure Entertainment produced John Butler’s first feature comedy The Stag, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. They also executive produced Ivan Kavanagh’s horror The Canal, which premiered at Tribeca Film festival.

Principal Cast Bios

Emma Greenwell (Mary Reynolds)
Emma Greenwell was born in the United States but grew up in England. Although she always wanted to perform she didn't seek out work until after high school.

Emma’s big break was when she got cast as MANDY MILKOVICH the recurring role in SHAMELESS USA on More4 and on an arc of TRUE BLOOD for HBO. Credits include the third series of SHAMELESS, the independent feature, THE HOLY GHOST PEOPLE which screened at SXSW Festival and LAW AND ORDER: SVU.

2015 was a busy year for Emma as she left Shameless and went on to focus on her feature film career playing roles in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES directed by Burr Steers starring a vibrant cast which includes, Lily James, Douglas Boothe, Lena Headey and Charles Dance. She also plays CATHERINE VERMON, in Whit Stillmans adaptation of Jane Austens, Lady Susan, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny and Stephen Fry. Both are due to release in 2016 along side DARE TO BE WILD.

Tom Hughes (Christy Collard)
Having already worked with some of the best writers, directors and actors in the industry, Tom’s expanding CV showcases his range and positions him as one of the most sought after young actors working today. Since graduating from RADA in 2008, Tom has been BIFA nominated and featured in the prestigious Screen International’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’. Tom Hughes is the leading man of BBC America espionage thriller series, THE GAME, in which he leads a stellar cast including Brian Cox, Paul Ritter, Shaun Dooley and Chloe Pirie.

2015 was a busy year for Tom with a starring role in a new adaptation of the 1938 Hitchcock movie, THE LADY VANISHES, opposite Tuppence Middleton and Keeley Hawes. Tom starred in Poliakoff’s award-winning series DANCING ON THE EDGE, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode and Jaqueline Bisset. He also took a role in the Richard Curtis film About Time, supporting Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Domhnall Gleeson.

Tom’s film credits include the 2010 Mat Whitecross’s Ian Dury biopic, SEX & DRUGS & ROCK N ROLL in which Tom took the role of bandmate ‘Chaz Jankel’ opposite Andy Serkis. Tom then went on to star in the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant debut feature film CEMETERY JUNCTION, for which Tom received a BIFA Award nomination for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’.

On stage Tom was most recently seen in the critically acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of VERSAILLES, directed by Peter Gill. In 2010 Tom took a leading role in the Young Vic production of Arthur Schnitzler’s SWEET NOTHINGS directed by Luc Bondy.

Other notable credits include, David Hare’s PAGE EIGHT opposite Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz, and Rupert Goold’s RICHARD II appearing opposite Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear and Patrick Stewart. Tom has also had principal returning roles in two major BBC television productions, legal drama SILK in 2011 and CASUALTY 1909 in 2009. In 2013 Tom starred in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s recent directorial debut, the short film COLOMBITE TANTALITE which is currently touring festivals, including the Seattle Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortFest. Tom also fronted the Burberry A/W campaign in 2009 alongside Emma Watson and Douglas Booth.