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