Film produced by Mayo men to premiere at prestigious Edmonton International Film Festival

A film written and produced by two Mayo men is set to have its world premiere at the Edmonton International Film Festival in Canada next month. 

Carnacon native Ruaidhri Hallinan and Kilmaine man Eamonn Keane are currently making waves in the Irish film scene with  ‘Where The Old Man Lives’.

Inspired by true events, the film explores themes of rural isolation, resilience, and the profound impact of losing one’s sense of security.

The plot delves into the life of Michael (Michael Harding), an elderly man living alone on a rural farm in Ireland. Through the lens of Michael’s journey, the film examines the fragility of the human psyche and the longing for a world turned upside down, to be made right once more.

Directed by Sonya O’Donoghue, with Niall O’Connor as Director of Photography, and IFTA-winning Sarah Lynch as film composer, the picture was filmed in four locations across Gort, Oranmore and Clarinbridge in Co Galway. With a 12-strong cast, with up to 100 extras, the Maglite Films production was produced on a budget of just €30,000 and finished production in April. 

Mr Hallinan and Mr Keane first met in 2021 and began scriptwriting together the following year. 

Last year, Mr Hallinan won the 2023 Ardán & RTÉ Short Film Commission for ‘Remote Strutting’, which premiered at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh in July and has been selected for several others, as well as being shortlisted for Best European Short Film.

Mr Keane is an award-winning film director who started his first production company, Yewtree Productions, back in 2015. 

His first short film ‘Rapacious’ debuted at the 31st Galway Film Fleadh and picked up Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2019. 

He was also a finalist three years running at the prestigious Galway Film Fleadh Pitching Competition from 2015-2017.

Speaking ahead of the world premiere, Mr Keane said he and Mr Hallinan were ‘delighted’ to be bringing their latest film to ‘one of the most widely respected festivals globally’. 

“It attracts audiences of 15,000-plus and shows approximately 160 films out of more than 2,400 entries. It’s a great honour to be selected and our journey starts here for the film, which is marvellous,” he said.

Mr Hallinan described  ‘Where The Old Man Lives’ as ‘a film we really wanted to make’. 

“It illuminates the realities of rural life and the fear of living alone. We both grew up in rural Ireland and can identify with the characters and their stories,” explained Mr Hallinan, who is a former member of the Mayo senior football team’s backroom team and coaches the Shrule-Glencorrib junior team. 

“We’ve heard the stories and seen the consequences, we know about the fear that is present in so many communities, but we have never seen it brought to life on screen and we felt this was a story that needed – and deserved – to be told.”

The world premiere of  ‘Where The Old Man Lives’ will take place on Friday, September 27, at 6 pm, at the Landmark Cinema, Edmonton, Canada.