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Shakes Versus Shav

‘Shakes Versus Shav’, a madcap puppet film featuring the voices of Colm Meaney as George Bernard Shaw and Derek Jacobi as William Shakespeare, is a new Irish short based on the last play completed by legendary Irish playwright and Nobel Prizewinner, George Bernard Shaw.

In a knockabout Punch & Judy style, Shaw himself battles it out with William Shakespeare in a war of words to decide who is the greater writer.

Written barely a year before he died in 1950 at the grand old age of 94, ‘Shakes Versus Shav’ was a final opportunity for the great GBS to celebrate his work and legacy, while taking a sly swipe at what he saw as Shakespeare’s overblown reputation. The film is true to Shaw’s original play: both funny and poignant, with laugh out loud slapstick moments, flashes of genuine drama and scathing wit. It’s a fresh and fitting tribute to two of the greatest writers in the English language … with strings attached.

Released to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the play’s publication in 2024, ‘Shakes Versus Shav’ is co-directed by puppeteer Damian Farrell (Star Wars, Jurassic World, Dark Crystal) and documentary-maker Gerry Hoban. The film grew out of a previous collaboration between the two while working with Gabriel Byrne on the IFTA Award-winning documentary about George Bernard Shaw, “My Astonishing Self”.

‘Shakes Versus Shav’ has been produced by Damian Farrell, Elaine Gallagher and Martha Moloney for Caboom, and is funded by Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, along with RTÉ, Coimisiún na Meán and Section 481.

  • Damian Farrell
    Director
  • Gerry Hoban
    Director
  • Gerry Hoban
    Writer
  • Damian Farrell
    Producer
  • Elaine Gallagher
    Producer
  • Martha Moloney
    Producer
  • Colm Meaney
    Key Cast
    "Shav"
  • Derek Jacobi
    Key Cast
    "Shakespeare"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, puppets, animation
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 3, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology
    Portland
    United States
    August 23, 2024
    Official Selection / Award Winner
  • Bloomsday Film Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    June 14, 2024
    Official Selection / Award Winner
  • New York Shorts International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    October 17, 2024
    Special Mention
  • Galway Film Fleadh
    Galway
    Ireland
    July 13, 2023
    Official Selection
  • IFI Documentary Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    September 30, 2023
    Dublin Premier
    Official Selection
  • Capital Irish Film Festival
    Washington
    United States
    March 3, 2024
    North American Premier
    Official Selection
  • British & Irish Film Festival
    Luxembourg
    Luxembourg
    March 21, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Irish Film Festa
    Rome
    Italy
    April 4, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Irish Film Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    May 24, 2024
    German Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Dumbo Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    October 25, 2024
    Official Selection / Semi Finalist
  • Indie Cork Flim Festival
    Cork
    Ireland
    October 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Dublin International Short Film & Music Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    October 4, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Edinburgh Short Film Festival
    Edinburgh
    United Kingdom
    Scottish Premier
    Official Selection
  • St. Andrews Film Festival
    St Andrews
    United Kingdom
    November 30, 2024
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Damian Farrell, Gerry Hoban

Co-directed by Damian Farrell and Gerry Hoban.

Damian Farrell has over thirty years of experience in television and film as a director, puppeteer and animator and serves as the creative director at Irish production company, Caboom. A former animation artist with Don Bluth and a Jim Henson-trained puppeteer, Damo’s breadth of experience across many different media has seen him work as a principal puppeteer on the ‘Star Wars’, ‘Dark Crystal’, ‘Muppet’ and ‘Jurassic World’ franchises as well as projects with LucasFilm, Bad Robot, Disney, Sesame Workshop, BBC, CBBC. He has directed the BAFTA-winning series of 'Gigglebiz' for CBeebies and the original series of CBBC’s ‘Class Dismissed’. Damo has also produced the multi award-winning stop-motion short film ‘Second To None’. And he has recently completed directing his third series of the RTS Award-winning Irish comedy series ‘Storybud’ for Kite Entertainment and RTÉJr and the first series of preschool puppet series ‘Dodge’s Pup School’ for BBC.

Gerry Hoban is a highly-acclaimed Irish documentary director & writer with more than 25 years of international experience. Most recently, Gerry has directed a haunting look back at Ireland's worst air disaster at Tuskar Rock; a reappraisal of the Death of Michael Collins; a series on former State Pathologist, Marie Cassidy; an exploration of 100 years of Northern Ireland with Miriam O'Callaghan; an examination of the Irish love of swearing with Ardal O'Hanlon; and was story editor on the acclaimed ‘Let The Rest of The World Go By’. Gerry won awards and universal critical acclaim for ‘A Fanatic Heart’ – Bob Geldof's exploration of the life and work of WB Yeats, and ‘My Astonishing Self’ – Gabriel Byrne's thoughtful and impassioned piece on George Bernard Shaw. He also helmed the major international historical documentary "Countdown to Calvary", presented by Hugh Bonneville; and Joe Duffy's poignant tributes to the children that died during both The Troubles and The Easter Rising.

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Director Statement

Gerry: I feel Shaw is a little under-appreciated in the country of his birth – perhaps because he had the temerity to leave Dublin at the age of 20! He wrote ‘Shakes Versus Shav’ the year before he died, in an attempt to reclaim some of his legacy in the overbearing shadow of Shakespeare: hopefully this little film will help solidify that immortality he yearned for… and earned!

Damian: At a time when Ai is challenging creativity, and when digital creatures and highly sophisticated physical animatronic puppets are so commonplace in film-making, we really wanted to see if we could create something with hand-made, 'rudimentary' puppets that could deliver an endearing performance on a big screen to remind audiences how fascinating puppets can be. The finger prints of everyone involved in the project are there on the big screen for audiences to relish.