Private Project

Homecoming

A young man struggles to find his place in the world after returning to Ireland. A familiar face makes him wonder if things are about to change.
In Homecoming, we meet two young Irish people who for many different reasons (and some similar), chose to leave Ireland. Together again, even briefly, they are both forced to confront their shared history, their relationship with “home” and their differing paths in life since a devastating past experience that wounded them both deeply.

  • Sinéad O'Loughlin
    Director
  • Sinéad O'Loughlin
    Writer
  • Laura Brennan
    Producer
  • David Greene
    Key Cast
  • Johanna O'Brien
    Key Cast
  • Daniel Keane
    Director of Photography
    Mechanic (2013)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Kerry Film Festival 2016
    Killarney, County Kerry
    Ireland
    October 22, 2016
    Irish
    Best Irish Narrative-WINNER
  • Cork International Film Festival 2016
    Cork
    Ireland
  • Dingle International Film Festival 2017
    Dingle
    Ireland
    March 24, 2017
    None
    In Competition
  • Belfast Film Festival 2017
    Belfast
    United Kingdom
    April 1, 2017
    UK
    In Competition
  • Irish Film Festa 2017
    Rome
    Italy
    April 1, 2017
    International
  • Sleeping Giants Film Festival
    Warrenpoint
    Ireland
    July 1, 2017
    N/A
  • Wexford Film Festival 2017
    Wexford
    Ireland
    August 4, 2017
    N/A
  • Fingal Film & Arts Festival 2017
    Dublin
    Ireland
    August 11, 2017
    N/A
    Best Short Film - WINNER
  • Still Voices Film Festival 2017
    Ballymahon
    Ireland
    August 19, 2017
    N/A
Director Biography - Sinéad O'Loughlin

Sinéad O'Loughlin is from Co.Wicklow, Ireland. She studied English & Media in IADT Dun Laoghaire & completed her MA in Drama & Theatre in NUI Galway. She writes short fiction and has written & directed for theatre. This is her first film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My background is theatre and fiction. Homecoming started as a short play for theatre that I wrote in 2010 exploring themes of mental health and contemporary rural identity in Ireland. I’m from a rural area and the themes were very relevant to me.

In the play, Mick and Aoife are struggling in the immediate aftermath of the death of John. Mick is due to travel to Australia with his friends, Aoife is in first year of college. I wanted to challenge myself with the film script and I also love adaptation so I took the same two characters and asked myself how life might have turned out for them eight years later. Given that this time span includes post Celtic Tiger Ireland and the fall out from the banking crisis, I was able to explore the impact on the lived experience of those young people who are trying to make their way in life but are heavily impacted by external economic and social issues over which they have little control. I also wanted to explore the modern forms of emigration and how this impacts our relationship with the idea of home.

Homecoming is my first film. As the location of the film is so central to the story, I loved exploring how to tell the story visually and I was fortunate to work with a fantastic group of talented cast and crew.
Homecoming was funded by Wicklow County Arts Office as a Strategic Project Initiative.