Breaking Glass Examines Irish Masculinity With International Hit RIALTO

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired US rights to the powerful Irish character study RIALTO from acclaimed director Peter Mackie Burns (Daphne) and writer Mark O'Halloran, who adapted his stage play "Trade" for the screen. Breaking Glass acquired rights to the film in February in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and Clémentine Hugot, Head of Sales at The Bureau Sales.

"Beautifully written and acted" (The Hollywood Reporter), centered around "two extraordinary central performances" (Variety), Peter Mackie Burns' ("Daphne") second feature premiered at the Venice Film Festival (Horizons) where it was nominated for the prestigious Queer Lion, and went on to play the Thessaloniki Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Göteborg Film Festival.

"The sensibility of the team at Breaking Glass makes it a wonderful match for Rialto", said Hugot. "I am so pleased their passion for this film means it has now the ability to be seen by audiences in the US."

RIALTO follows the mid-40s Colm, who has a comfortable life: a managerial job in Dublin's docks, two teenage children, and a kind, loyal wife in Claire. After the death of his father, a destructive figure, Colm's emotional life cracks open, and his downward spiral continues when he is made redundant. Drinking heavily and unable to confide in Claire, Colm finds himself drawn to Jay, a 19-year-old who dabbles in prostitution. Their sexual encounters and tentative friendship become Colm's only solace - but this recklessness puts his family-life at risk.

"Rialto is one of the most potent and devastating films of the year", said Richard Ross, Co-President of Breaking Glass. "Mackie Burns' assured and precise direction, and Vaughan-Lawlor's tortured, yet heartbreaking Colm lead a genuinely superb cast in a truly unforgettable experience."