MEET FILMMAKER COLIN O’REILLY
Meet filmmaker Colin O’Reilly, a Feature Film finalist at the Russian Film Festival South Africa International. He is based in England. Colin directed The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands. The film is a raw and compelling debut.
The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands
Colin O’Reilly’s The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands is a powerful social realist drama. It explores ambition, disillusionment, and working-class struggles. Told through three connected stories, the film offers a raw and honest look at survival and frustration within marginalised communities. Loosely inspired by true events, it captures the harsh realities faced by many.
POWERFUL STORYTELLING
The film stands out for its authenticity. A mix of professional and non-professional actors adds emotional depth to its portrayal of modern hardship. The characters feel deeply human, capturing the ongoing struggle between economic stagnation and personal resilience.
A Gritty Arthouse Portrait of Britain
A powerful example of independent cinema, this film delivers a raw, unflinching look at life on the edges of Britain’s coastal towns. It confronts the harsh realities of poverty while highlighting the quiet strength of those living through it. Though it screened in the Russian Film Festival South Africa International under our Feature category, it is in fact an arthouse film, distinct in both style and production.
THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM
Remarkably, O’Reilly crafted The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands as a micro‑budget debut. He shot it solo on a Canon 5D Mark II with vintage FD lenses. It is a testament to his ingenuity and dedication. Moreover, the film’s impact is substantial despite its minimalist production. It proves that powerful stories need only vision and conviction.
Following its screening at the Russian Film Festival South Africa International, the film earned acclaim abroad. On April 12, 2025, it premiered in the UK at Hastings Rocks International Film Festival. Additionally, it won Best Feature Film for Colin O’Reilly and Best Performance for Kim King.
about the filmmaker
Colin O’Reilly is a Director & Director of Photography with a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Radio and Television Studies from Canterbury Christ Church University. He began his career as a Camera Department Trainee for Screen South and Kent Film Office on Maeve Films’ third feature The Calling (2009) under cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland. He later joined the lighting team on the Hindi film Rustom (2016). For the past decade, Colin has worked independently, creating music videos and live performance content. The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands is his first full-length arthouse film and marks his directorial debut in narrative cinema.
What’s Next for Colin O’Reilly
Colin is currently developing a science fiction action-thriller with Ryan Hill, Ryan Williams, and Kevin Pleece. The story explores time travel and multiple versions of the same character in a high-stakes, multi-layered narrative. He is also working on a new social realist drama told through three perspectives during a police riot, a female police officer, a left-wing activist, and a right-wing protestors, whose lives collide during a single violent event. Colin remains committed to exploring stories through multiple lenses of time, place, and ideology.