Point of Departure: A Lament

Honouring the ancestors and spirit of place in West Cork: lamenting The Great Hunger.

  • Alison Glennie
    Director
    On the Pig's Back
  • Alison Glennie
    Writer
    On the Pig's Back
  • Alison Glennie
    Producer
    On the Pig's Back
  • Alison Glennie
    Key Cast
    Kessler, Blake's 7, The Bunker,
  • Fintan McKahey
    Composition and Sound Design
    On the Pig's Back, Sneaky Peak, Do you see me?,
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Experiemental, Performance Art, Art House
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 15, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    800 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Seattle Transmedia and Independent Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    July 27, 2018
    official selection
  • Chicago Amarcord Arthouse Television Awards
    Chicago
    United States
    November 30, 2017
    Premiere
    official selection
  • Indie Cork Film Festival
    Cork
    Ireland
    October 7, 2018
    official selection
  • Hebden Bridge Film Festival
    Hebden Bridge
    United Kingdom
    March 23, 2019
    official selection
  • Beara Film Festival
    Castletwonbere
    Ireland
    July 6, 2019
    Official selection
  • HIFF - HALO International Film Festival
    St. Petersburg
    Russian Federation
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Alison Glennie

Alison Glennie is a British actor and cross-disciplinary artist residing in West Cork, Ireland. She entered the profession as a child actor, working in film and television in the UK. More recently she has been working as a voice artist, recording many programmes for RTE Radio One. As a film maker, advocating for mental health and disability groups, she has been exploring the potential of iOS devices and finds them to be an invaluable tool for producing non-budget short films for non-profit organisations. Point of Departure: A Lament silent film documents her work as a performance artist in Ireland.

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Director Statement

Point of Departure: A Lament was an elemental, site-specific, promenade performance, conceptualised by Alison Glennie. Atop the dramatic cliffs of South Reen, a coastal area once ravaged by famine, the cast presented a sonic healing, celebrating the spirit of place, honouring the ancestors and lifting the veil on the Otherworld. Local Irish musicians played an integral role in the production and a new composition by Fintan McKahey was commissioned for the project. The work was a response to internationally acclaimed artist, John Kelly’s, installations; which make a connection to The Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor). This short film bears witness to the live event, which was the inaugural performance at Reen Farm Sculpture Garden in West Cork, Ireland. 'Point of Departure: A Lament' was experienced by an audience at the Skibbereen Arts Festival, as the sea mist swirled and the curlew cried. F-rated.

"It was like being inside a dream." - Sarah Horgan, Evening Echo, Cork.

Composition and Sound Design:
http://fintanmckahey.com at
https://www.ivyhillstudios.com

Stills photography: http://katebeanphotography.com