Gentlemen of Letters - A Dublin Sign Painting Film

Dublin has a rich history of hand painted signs decorating the city. Although it is not as common today, the craft still continues.

Previewed in December 2013 as part of the 'Sign Painter Movie' premiere (a great film made by our friends stateside), 'Gentlemen of Letters' was intended to briefly document Dublin's relationship, history and influence connected with hand painted signs.

"Sign writing is a real craft and I hope this film, in some small way, has helped people develop an appreciation for it. It was very much a learning experience for me as I previously knew nothing about sign writing and the skill involved. A hand painted sign can have a large effect on Dublin's streets so since filming I now look at them in a completely different way."

Colin Brady, Taller Stories

"I've worked with a lot of great artists and sign painters over the years at our venue The Bernard Shaw and am always fascinated about how a bold mural and message can totally change the perception of a space and cause reaction with passers by - especially in an era when we are surrounded by advertising, so when I held the Dublin screening for the US documentary Sign Painter Movie I really wanted to use that as a platform to show a snapshot of sign painting here in Dublin, both past and present."

John Mahon, Toejam

To view work by the sign writers and artists featured in the documentary visit the links below:
Kevin Freeney - flickr.com/photos/gentlemanofletters
Colm O' Connor - colmoconnorsignwriter.com
Maser - maserart.com/
James Earley - inputout.com/
Kevin Freeney Jr - kevinfreeney.com

Also check out Film Makers Taller Stories - tallerstories.com
....and last but not least Toejam who co-produced the film - toejam.ie