Private Project

In Wake of John Doyle

An excommunicated priest returns to his remote island community in a documentary, previously lost to time.

  • Niall McCloskey
    Director
    Better Before, Things Unsaid
  • Thomas Bennett
    Director
    The Seven Signs, Now That I Look
  • Niall McCloskey
    Writer
    Better Before, Things Unsaid
  • Thomas Bennett
    Writer
    The Seven Signs
  • Niall McCloskey
    Producer
    Better Before, Things Unsaid
  • Thomas Bennett
    Producer
    The Seven Signs, Now That I Look
  • Richard Mcferran
    Key Cast
    "John Doyle"
    Bloodlands, Hope Street, Silverpoint
  • Paul Livingstone
    Key Cast
    "Father Oisin Clarke"
    The Butler, No Mans Land
  • Anna McAlorum
    Key Cast
    "Claire"
    Yanks in Ulster, A Girls Revolution
  • Matthew Branagh
    Key Cast
    "Mark"
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Mystery, Horror, Documentary, Mocumentary
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 12, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital - HI8
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • DIFF (Dublin International Film Festival) 2025
    Dublin
    Ireland
    February 26, 2025
    Dublin Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Belfast Film Festival 2024
    Belfast
    United Kingdom
    November 3, 2024
    Official Selection - New Irish Shorts
  • The British Short Film Awards 2024
    London
    United Kingdom
    Longlist Selection
  • Big Fridge International Film Festival 2024
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 15, 2025
    City of London Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Film Devour Short Film Festival 2024
    Belfast
    United Kingdom
    July 23, 2024
    Belfast Premiere
    Winner - Audience Choice
  • Louth International Film Festival 2024
    Dundalk
    Ireland
    September 29, 2024
    Irish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Astonishing Narratives 2024
    Online
    August 29, 2024
    Online Premiere
    Festival Nominee - Narrative Fiction
  • 16th Underground Cinema Film Awards 2025
    Dublin
    Ireland
    November 15, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Berlin Indie Film Festival 2025
    Berlin
    Germany
    May 2, 2025
    German Premiere
    Official Selection - Best Short Film
Director Biography - Niall McCloskey, Thomas Bennett

Niall McCloskey and Thomas Bennett are a Belfast based directing, writing and visual art duo; by trade the pair work freelance in the Northern Irish Film and TV industry with Niall working in the Assistant Director Department and Thomas working within the Props and Art Department.

Niall launched his directorial filmography in 2023 with the award nominated short film 'Better Before' as well as co-writing, co-directing and co-producing the award winning short ‘In Wake of John Doyle’ alongside Thomas in 2024.

A multidisciplinary artist focused on Hi8 tape and Super 8, Thomas launched his directorial filmography in 2021 at Raindance Film Festival with ‘The Seven Signs’. ‘Now That I Look’ (2024) is his most recent short-film to start its festival run.

The pair have been working together for two years now; having collaborated on a variety of projects, most recent being the award winning short film ‘‘In Wake of John Doyle’. The pair are currently in post-production on their follow-up short ‘Gabriels Trumpet’ as well as developing their first feature.

Together their work has been selected for the BAFTA affiliated Belfast Film Festival, DIFF (Dublin International Film Festival), Raindance Film Festival, The British Short Film Awards and more.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

It's beyond a pleasure to be putting this short up for the world to start seeing finally. We sought to create work that was narratively distinctive, Irish focused and genuinely mysterious, intentionally blurring the worlds of fiction and reality.

The film stands on its own two legs as a uniquely crafted and presented piece being filmed entirely on Hi-8 Tape, down to how the credits themselves were captured. No generative AI or digital post-processing was used to replace the practices of film-making or the effects of our camera.

Our short was all shot locally on the coast of Northern Ireland and Belfast with an entirely local cast and crew of remarkably talented Irish creatives.

We're beyond proud of this project and hope you find merit in it as well!