The narrative feature portraying the life of the great traditional Irish singer will receive its World premiere at SXSW.

Produced by Alan Maher and Jessie Fisk of Marcie Films and Martin Paul-Hus at Amerique Films, the biopic - which was filmed on location in Galway - sees the beautiful yet harsh landscape combined with the myths, fables and songs of Heaney's Connemara childhood that helped shape this complex
and gifted character.

Macdara Ó Fátharta, Michael O'Chonfhlaola, and Colm Seoighe will portray the sean nós singer at various stages of his life and Song of Granite showcases Heaney as both enigmatic and fascinating as his devotion to his art came at a huge personal cost to him and those closest to him.

Collins previously achieved acclaim with his debut feature film, Silence (2012), which Geoff Andrew hailed as a "touching love letter to the notion of home."

Song of Granite was funded by the IFB, BAI, TG4, SODEC and Telefilm and will be released in the UK and Ireland later this year by Soda Pictures and Wildcard Distribution.

The SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent both behind and in front of the camera. The festival has become known for the high calibre and diversity of films presented, and for its smart, enthusiastic audiences. It will open this year with the world premiere of Terence Malick's Song to Song, starring Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman.