Mayo filmmaker’s dark comedy qualifies for Oscar consideration
Aaron Chalke’s directorial debut stars Game of Thrones actor Michael McElhatton and draws inspiration from Ireland’s death notice tradition
A filmmaker with roots in Mayo has achieved a major milestone with his directorial debut, a darkly comic Irish short film that has qualified for consideration at the 99th Academy Awards.
The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty, directed by Aaron Chalke, recently won Best Irish Short in the Light in Motion Competition at Foyle Film Festival, earning eligibility for Oscar consideration.
The film stars Michael McElhatton, best known internationally for his role as Roose Bolton in Game of Thrones, alongside Hannah Mamalis, who was named one of Screen International’s Rising Stars Ireland in 2025.
Chalke, who grew up in Mayo, drew inspiration from Ireland’s long-established tradition of death notices broadcast on local radio stations, announcing deaths and funeral arrangements in communities across the country.
The film explores an unusual question: what if people were given advance notice of their own death?
Its central character discovers he has just one day left to live and attempts to fulfil his ambitions, only to find himself caught up in the frustrations of customer service and bureaucracy.
Blending dark humour with a more reflective exploration of mortality, the story delves into the ambitions people put off, the time they take for granted and the relationships that give life meaning.
The idea took on a more personal significance for Chalke following the death of his mother. The experience of losing someone without knowing that a particular day would be their last prompted him to consider the premise from the opposite perspective: what if a person knew their own final day was approaching?
The film has already travelled widely on the festival circuit, premiering at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival before screening at events including Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Fastnet Film Festival and the Dublin Independent Film Festival.
It has also screened at the Boyne Valley International Film Festival, Clare Island Film Festival, Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival, Roscommon International Film Festival and Kerry International Film Festival, and received an award at Fastnet.
Chalke spent more than 16 years working in advertising and commercials before moving into narrative filmmaking. He is currently being mentored by Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind An Irish Goodbye.
He was also recently named the winner of the Ardán/RTÉ Short Film Commission, through which he will direct The Dead House, an adaptation of the internationally successful play of the same name.
The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty’s Oscar qualification marks an important step for the Mayo-connected filmmaker and brings an Irish story rooted in a familiar aspect of community life to a wider international audience.