Cardboard Gangsters tells the story of a group of wannabe gangsters from Darndale, North Dublin, attempting to gain control of the local drug trade.

Love/Hate star John Connors plays Jay Connolly, a part-time DJ and low-level drug dealer living in an area rife with gangland violence, drugs and social problems. When his welfare payments are cut off, he decides it’s time to start dealing more serious drugs, where the money may be better but the stakes are much higher. Jay knows he’s playing a dangerous game and struggles to balance his family’s debts and the demands of his pregnant girlfriend, while avoiding the attention of ruthless drug baron Derra Murphy who rules the neighbourhood with an iron fist.

This highly-charged drama reflects the reality of Dublin’s violent drug feuds which make headlines daily. Mark O’Connor (King of the Travellers, Between the Canals) paints a vivid picture in big, bold strokes capturing the heightened drama of gangland life, punctuated with welcome moments of dark comic relief from his punchy young cast.

"O'Connor has - helped in no small measure by a towering turn from Connors - come as close to a Dublin Boyz n the Hood as we could have hoped. It's noisy, loud, violent and sad." - DONALD CLARKE, IRISH TIMES