Biography
Emma Wall is a writer/director from Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Her writing career started in 2013 when she was funded by the BAI to write a six-part radio drama series Cradle, following the story of a young drug addict struggling with recovery. Sparking on-air conversations each week between students and teachers about the dangers of drug abuse, the series was later nominated for Best Drama at the 2014 PPI Awards.
After this Emma moved to London where she worked in casting for TV and film. In 2016, she wrote her first short film Spent, which was shot in 2017. The film had a strong festival run, screening in festivals such as Chicago Irish Film Festival, Dingle Film Festival, Fastnet Film Festival, Underground Cinema and Still Voice Film Festival. Spent was chosen as the Irish selection out of 12 films by Women In Television In Film International and will be screened in over 40 countries worldwide.
"A common theme in my work is the idea of connection, family and what this means when these connections are healthy, severed or shaky."
In 2018, her short film Pat was funded through Bumble’s Female Film Force. The film was chosen out of 1,100 scripts and was the only Irish entry to be funded that year. Pat was my directorial debut and starred Rosaleen Linehan and Moe Dunford. Pat was nominated for Best Short at the London Irish Film Festival in 2019 and won Best Short at the Chicago Irish Film Festival in 2020. The film is now part of Aer Lingus’ in-flight entertainment for 2021.
Project Title: Butterfly
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Genre: Drama
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Target Audience: Global
Synopsis
Hannah Barry was born with EB, a rare and painful skin disorder that consumes her whole body and causes her skin to be as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. Every day Hannah must take painful baths to scrub away the excess skin that has grown overnight on her body.
The whole family’s world revolves around her condition and it is the reason Hannah’s mother, Tara, abandoned her at the age of four. Now raised by her Nana and Uncle Jason, Hannah lives a sheltered life as those around her relentlessly battle to protect her from infection.
Although in constant agony, Hannah’s vivacious personality and lust for life has always shone through. Hannah takes refuge in her love for performing arts which has helped her escape into an imaginary world where people look past her skin and instead see her talent. Frustrated by her restricted life and desperate to prove she is more than just skin, Hannah decides to finally pursue her dreams and on her 18th Birthday makes a decision that will change her family forever.
Armed with a passport she has secured with the help of her only friend Ayo, Hannah embarks on a secret adventure to London to audition for a West End musical. Hannah’s family work with the police to try and track her down but soon realise that there is more to Hannah’s trip than meets the eye, as Hannah finally comes face to face with her mother after fourteen years.
Now after years of being away Tara must return home to face those she left behind and Hannah must accept that sometimes even our biggest dreams may never come true.
"My aim was to tell a story we haven’t seen on screen before and open society’s eyes as to how we treat those who are born 'different'."
To get in touch with Emma or find out more about Butterfly, contact spotlight@screenireland.ie