World Premiere of Screen Ireland’s New Live-Action and Documentary Shorts to Take Place at 63rd Cork Film Festival
Posted: 19th October 2018
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to announce that the world premiere of the short films made under its Focus Shorts and Real Shorts schemes will take place at the 63rd Cork Film Festival. The new live-action (Focus) and documentary (Real) short films will screen in the Everyman Theatre at 4pm on Saturday, 17 November in a unique presentation as part of the festival’s short film line-up.
This year’s presentation will also include one Frameworks short film, from the animated scheme co-funded by Screen Ireland and RTÉ.
Over 60% of the shorts in the Focus Shorts and Real Shorts schemes are directed by women and feature up-and-coming talents such as Jordanne Jones (Metal Heart) and Daryl McCormack (Fair City) alongside Dara Devaney (Float Like a Butterfly) and Martin McCann (MAZE).
Focus Shorts
Lady Black Eyes (pictured above), written and directed by Niamh Heery and produced by Caoimhe Maguire for Swansong Films. Devon and Nora pay a visit to someone from Nora’s childhood, so she can confront him. Once there, Nora comes to the realisation of what she needs to do to break free of her past.
Day Out, directed by Virginia Gilbert and written and produced by Emmaline Dowling for Suitable Films. A father takes his daughters on an impromptu day out to the seaside with unsettling consequences.
Low Tide, directed by Ian Hunt Duffy, written by Darach McGarrigle and produced by Simon Doyle for FailSafe Films. Jack is excited to be heading out to sea on a father-son fishing trip, but his father has more sinister intentions.
The Trap, written and directed by Helen Flanagan and produced by Sarah Gunn and Simon Doyle for Treasure Entertainment. A grieving farmer becomes convinced that his sheep are falling prey to a dangerous predator. In an attempt to find and capture the creature he risks sacrificing his already strained marriage.
Real Shorts
The Vasectomy Doctor, written and directed by Paul Webster and produced by Ronan Cassidy for Carbonated Comet Productions. Dr. Andrew Rynne was the first doctor to perform vasectomies in Ireland. Dr. Rynne would continue to challenge the laws governing sexuality, laws imposed by Church and State. In 1990 a man entered his surgery and shot him.
The Butcher, directed by Vince Murray and written and produced by Naoimh Reilly. A retired butcher runs a boxing club in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick. He trains boxers from both the settled and traveller communities. Rathkeale is a dying town where most of the buildings are empty. The boxing club is one of the few places where you are not defined by being a traveller or being from the settled community. The club is a huge success in an empty town.
Reality Baby, written and directed by Nodlag Houlihan and produced by Matt Leigh for Zucca Films. Reality Babies are lifelike newborn baby dolls given to teenagers to care for — they cry and feed and wake through the night, just like a real baby. This short documentary follows a group of friends as they take on the responsibility of looking after these infants.
Bending Glass, written and directed by Suzie Keegan and produced by Peter Murnaghan for I Direct Productions. This film explores the lifes work of Glass Bender Paddy Dignam. We meet the man who used the streets as his gallery, illuminating Ireland with one iconic piece of work at a time.
Frameworks
An Gadhar Dubh, written and directed by Pádraig Fagan and produced by Louise Ní Chonchúir for Paper Panther Productions. An Gadhar Dubh (the black dog) is an Irish language, stop-motion horror film about a young man and his senile father who are terrorised by a mysterious black dog in Connemara in 1910.
For more information and to book tickets, please click here.