A short film about the defective concrete blocks c in Donegal will have its premiere in Inishowen this Saturday.
Where Will We Go? was written and directed by Rory Fitzpatrick, a previous winner of Galway Film Fleadh’s 1 minute film contest for My Father Taught Me To Swing An Axe (2019).
The film was shot in Culdaff in the winter of 2021 by a passionate team of 10 student filmmakers.
The film is a hyper-realistic drama that transports the audience into the nightmare of living in a crumbling home.
The story follows a girl called Emma, who is left to her own devices in her family home. Isolated amongst the daunting cracks, she must piece together all that remains.
The film will premiere at the 7th edition of Disappear Here film festival in Ballyliffin Hotel this Saturday 30th September.
Where Will We Go?
Producer Billy Buckley notes “Artists and filmmakers have a responsibility to create work that reflects the world around them. We made the film to show affected homeowners that there are creative young people here who support them and are driven to amplify their experiences of the crisis. Coming from Dublin, Belfast and Galway the production team was shocked to find most young adults and city homeowners had no idea the defective concrete crisis existed.”
Writer and director Rory Fitzpatrick was motivated to create the film when he witnessed the outcry by innocent homeowners living in defective concrete homes.
He states “The crisis became a personal issue to me when my family discovered our holiday home in Donegal was made with defective concrete blocks. However, I didn’t realise the true extent of the issue until I immersed myself in the Inishowen area. Here, you cannot ignore their outcry. It is everywhere in Donegal. These people need help, urgently. Yet living in Dublin I saw none of it, it seemed like a distant concept and most people in the city weren’t even aware of the crisis existing. The more I researched, the more heartbroken I felt for the residents of Donegal. Without any say in it they have been burdened with this atrocity and are being ignored by the rest of the country. I wanted to help in some way.
“Throughout my research, I had noticed that media coverage was sparse, especially media that would capture the attention of the politically active youth. I wanted to create a film that would raise awareness of the issue through emotional language and bring the film to festivals across Ireland and Internationally.
“I hope that in some way this film will make people aware of the issue and encourage support. This issue needs to be resolved; Donegal cannot be forgotten again.”
Cinematographer, Grainne Galvin, led an all-female camera crew to capture the film with a purposeful and empathetic eye. Where Will We Go? stars Lir Academy graduate Niamh Bird as Emma, with a performance that encompasses the insidious nature of the crisis. With 50 short films, 15 documentaries and 7 feature films, along with an exciting array of music videos and animated work, the Disappear Here festival in Ballyliffin is not to be missed.
Where Will We Go? will premiere on Saturday September 30th in Screen 2 at Ballyliffin Hotel as part of ‘Irish Shorts Programme 2’ from 2 – 3:30pm. Tickets are available at the box office or check out https://filmfreeway.com/DisappearHereFilmFestival/tickets for a full weekend pass.
