AFTERMATH

Speaking at the launch of the 31st Galway Film Fleadh, Eibh Collins, curator of the shorts programme said “'Many short films miss the mark when it comes to the honesty and realism of the issues that Aftermath covers. We are flooded with films that are over-directed, or have underdeveloped narratives that glorify and glamorise the drug problem in Ireland. This is because it takes incredible skill to be able to show the truth behind the heartbreak it leaves in its wake, within the few minutes that a short film can offer. But Aftermath does just this, while being cinematically stunning and skilfully delivered. We are honoured to be screening the premier of this outstandingly nuanced directorial debut in competition for the Oscar Qualifying Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Fiction and for Best Debut in an Irish Short Fiction.'”

In 2015, there were two drug related deaths per day in Ireland. These people who have died all have families. Their grief is largely invisible. In the Aftermath of their loved ones death, they battle stigma and state violence, often with no support.
Barry and Grace worked with six families who had lost a loved one to a drug-related death over two years and drew on their own autobiography for the development of the story. The film is shot in Grace’s childhood home.
The cast features several actors who have never acted before, but for whom this world is their real lived experience.