Private Project

Chestnuts

Coming of age comedy-drama about two young band members who begin to drift apart. Chloe is lead singer and her best friend, Chestnut, is the drummer. Chestnut's parents are wary of Chloe and protective of their only child as Chestnut was born with a large chestnut shell for a head. Chestnut's parents know this makes their child slightly stick out from the rest. It doesn't faze Chloe in the slightest until an unfortunate slip after a gig has a profound impact on their friendship.

  • Tom Lenihan
    Director
  • Tom Lenihan
    Writer
  • Ciaran Byrne
    Producer
  • Justin Wade
    Producer
  • Fabien Oman
    Producer
  • Laura Brady
    Key Cast
    "Chloe"
  • Luke Crimmins
    Key Cast
    "Chestnut"
  • Neilí Conroy
    Key Cast
    "Chestnut's Mother"
  • Sheila Moylette
    Key Cast
    "Doctor"
  • Graeme Singleton
    Key Cast
    "Manager"
  • Eugene McCarthy
    Key Cast
    "Chestnut's Father"
  • Ebhan Loughlin
    Cinematography
  • Sean Hickey
    Editor
  • Sean Hickey
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy/Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 24, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    5,500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tom Lenihan

Having worked in a variety of departments, Tom has plied his trade as an assistant director. Recent credits as 1st assistant director include "Coco Dreams of Blue" which premiered at last year's Galway Film Fleadh and upcoming short film "The Bridge", funded through the Galway Film Centre and RTE. He has turned to directing music videos and commercials through Showpiece Films, which he also established. This is his debut short film as a director.

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Director Statement

When growing up, many people strive to fit in and go to great lengths to be accepted. True friends accept you for who you are, regardless of how others may perceive you...even if you have a weird spiky thing for where your head should be. Then as each of us takes our own path in life, we find that time, distance and circumstance all conspire to put up new barriers to friendship. We navigate different stages through life, wrestling with whether to remain different. Our "otherness" makes us all unique and has the capacity to divide us or unite us. In our story, this theme of "otherness" forms a bond between our main characters and ultimately it's for other people to accept it or not as they find their place in the world.