Aislinn Clarke’s Screen Ireland supported horror Fréwaka kicks off production
Posted: 23rd May 2023
Production has begun this week on Screen Ireland supported Irish horror Fréwaka. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, the horror film stars Clare Monnelly (Doineann, Moone Boy), IFTA-winner Bríd Ní Neachtain (Best Actress Film 2023 for Róise & Frank) and Ukrainian actress Alexandra Bystrzhitskaya (F20).
Fréwaka follows the story of Shoo (Monnelly) a student palliative care nurse who is plagued by a trauma from her past that has a disorienting effect on her present – her relationship, her career and her ability to function. The film will be told in both Irish and English. The title originates from the Irish word fréamhacha, meaning roots.
Production on the feature will take place in Ravensdale and Carlingford in Co. Louth.
Speaking about the shoot, writer / director Aislinn Clarke said:
I'm thrilled to be shooting Fréamhacha (Fréwaka), in Carlingford, where my grandmother grew up, and in Ravensdale, where my family spent many Sundays in the mountains. This film is an original take on Irish folklore and contemporary Ireland, exploring the tension that exists between past and present, the personal and the public. It's a pleasure to work with Doubleband and Wildcard on this Cine4 project, bringing together Clare Monnelly and the legendary Bríd Ní Neachtain as our principal cast.”
Clarke holds the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences Gold Fellowship 2020. Her feature film The Devil's Doorway, which was the first Irish horror to be directed by an Irish female filmmaker, played at many international festivals and earned Aislinn a Screen International Rising Star Award nomination.
Fréwaka is produced by Dermot Lavery for DoubleBand Films and Patrick O’Neill for Wildcard, with Greg Martin acting as executive producer for Screen Ireland. Fréwaka was developed through the Cine4 scheme and funded by Screen Ireland, TG4, Coimisiún na Meán (formerly the BAI) with the Television Licence Fee, and Section 481. The Cine4 scheme has previously developed the Academy Award nominated Irish films An Cailín Ciúin and Arracht.
DoubleBand Films is an award-winning Belfast based production company with a 30-year track record for making quality factual programmes and feature films with distinctive storytelling, while Wildcard is Ireland’s leading independent film distributor, that has just celebrated 10 years in business.
International sales rights for Fréwaka are being represented by Wildcard.