EATING piping hot chips, they clap him on the back. Damien O'Donnell, first-time feature film director, "from Coolock and proud of it", is being feted after the Dublin premiere of East is East. The film tells of a Pakistani chip-shop owner in the north of England, who rules his family with a rod of iron.
O'Donnell's sisters, Carolyn, June, Kim and Mary , are some of his biggest fans. His father, Liam, has seen the film four times, and his mother, Teresa, isn't far behind. There have been special screenings in Cannes, Galway and at UCI Coolock, where Damien once sold popcorn. Damien feels that Irish people will relate to it: "It's about a family and everyone has a family unless they're very unlucky." The star-studded premiere was attended by members of the cast and crew.