Saving the Titanic ·

She was the pride of the British Empire. A leading example of state-of-the-art engineering in a time of groundbreaking scientific and technological innovations on a global scale: the RMS Titanic. Yet she sank in less than three hours after striking an iceberg on 14th April 1912. We all know about the many deaths in the icy waters, the fates of the rich and famous on the ship’s maiden voyage and the dramas that played out in the Titanic’s last hours. What is less known however is how a team of shipbuilders and engineers attempted to save the stricken vessel.

Seeking to answer the question of what happened in the engine and boiler rooms after the collision Saving the Titanic tells the story of the disaster from below deck, with the action taking place between the time the crew embark the Titanic at Southampton and the eventual sinking of the ship. Based upon eye-witness accounts, this is the remarkable story of nine central characters from the engineering crew as they work among the huge, coal-fired furnaces heating the boilers and massive dynamos whirring to satisfy the ship’s demand for electricity. These nine men – among them 18-year-old electrical engineer Albert Ervine from Belfast and Chief Engineer Joseph Bell – are the heroes of this epic film. Their personal stories of bravery are recounted as the men fought courageously to hold back the power of the sea and keep the power systems running, even when they learned that all was lost. Most of these men died but their actions saved many lives.

Underscoring the superior quality of this drama-doc are the informative yet never overbearing technical details, the stunning CGI and the high-end drama shot in Ireland and the UK that bring to life the last hours of the “unsinkable” Titanic. Indeed, one of the most exciting elements of this film is the CGI & VFX work, which includes partial as well as full CGI shots.

The concept for this unique drama documentary was the brain child of Keith Farrell, the Creative Producer of Saving the Titanic, who first came across the stories when talking to old shipyard workers in Belfast in the mid 90’s. “I was very moved by what I heard and determined to someday give voice to the men who died below deck”

Two versions of the film will be produced; a 90 minute feature-length film for cinema and a 2 x 52 minute TV version. Director, Maurice Sweeney says that ‘Saving the Titanic’ will give a “human face to what happened below deck. The script and story are essentially a look at heroism and how men reacted in different ways.”

“The fresh angle taken on the story is what makes this drama-doc unique” says producer Stephen Rooke. “This story has never been told in a drama documentary; that was our original approach and why RTÉ and the Irish Film Board and everyone else have come on board.”

Saving the Titanic has a stellar ensemble cast of leading actors to play the key roles in this drama-doc including David Wilmot (The Guard; The Tudors; Intermission), CiaranMcMenamin (One hundred mornings; Sinking of the Laconia; David Copperfield; Primeval), Owen McDonnell (Mount Pleasant; Singlehanded; Conspiracy of Silence) Jonathan Byrne (Primeval; On Home Ground; Fág an Bealach); Andrew Simpson (Notes on a Scandal; Perriers Bounty), Hugh O’Conor (Your Bad Self; Killing Bono), Douglas Rankine (Loose Talk), Paul Kennedy (Cherrybomb; 50 Dead Men Walking), Stephen Hogan (Earthbound; The Tudors), ConorMacNeill (Cherrybomb; 50 Dead Men Walking), and Chris Newman (Love/Hate; Love is the drug).

Saving the Titanic is a co-production between Tile Films Ltd. In Ireland and GebruederBeetzFilmproduktion in Germany produced in association with RTÉ, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland - Sound and Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme, BordScannánnahÉireann/the Irish Film Board, Windmill Lane Pictures Ltd., Section 481 - Ireland’s Film Investment Scheme, AETN / History UK, ZDF, and ZDF Enterprises.

Saving the Titanic:

• is the first-ever drama-doc special to focus on engineers below deck
• has high-end drama with talented cast and quality CGI
• brings the untold story of the Titanic to the screen for the first time