Stranger than Fiction - 'In a House That Ceased to Be' Irish Premiere
Ciarín Scott’s remarkable documentary In a House That Ceased to Be will receive its Irish premiere at the IFI’s Stranger than Fiction festival on Saturday September 27th.
The documentary’s subject, humanitarian Christina Noble, will be in attendance as will her long-lost brother Sean.
Christina Noble and her global children’s foundation has helped save countless children from poverty, neglect and abuse. However, despite achieving so much in the face of adversity, Christina remains scarred by the memory of the three children she was unable to save; her own brother and two sisters, from whom she was separated at a very young age. Placed in separate orphanages run by the Catholic Church, each was told the others were dead. The resulting traumas affected each of them deeply and for life. In A House That Ceased To Be offers a glimpse into Christina’s personal life, her love of children and the hardships of Mongolia and Vietnam where she chooses to work. It is also an unflinching portrayal of her pain and her sense of betrayal by Ireland, the country in which she and her siblings were born, raised and ultimately torn apart.
Philip Boucher-Hayes will introduce and conduct a post-screening Q&A session with director Ciarín Scott, Christina Noble and her brother Sean. This will be Sean’s first time speaking publicly in Ireland – he left the country 53 years ago and hasn’t been back since.
The film has also been acclaimed by critics: Carol Hunt of the Sunday Independent called it “deeply insightful, at turns harrowing and hilarious…a must see”.
Olaf Tyaransen of Hot Press said, “this powerful film left me in tears of rage.”
Phillip Boucher Hayes of RTE said “it is the most honest and unflinching documentary of its kind I’ve ever seen”
For more on In a House That Ceased to Be, see the official film website, its Stranger than Fiction profile, or watch the trailer on YouTube.