THREE KEENINGS
by Oliver McGoldrick​

10min | United Kingdom/Ireland/USA | 2024

Ian is a struggling actor who finds himself in the unconventional role of a professional mourner.
As he tours the Northern Irish countryside, his practised mask of apathy begins to slip amongst
the humour and heartache of the local funeral circuit.

​Year of production 2024
Length 10'
Country United Kingdom/Ireland/USA
Shooting Format 4k Digital
Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Dialogue English, Irish (Gaelic)
​
Director Oliver McGoldrick
Producers Oliver McGoldrick, Natalie Remplakowski, Cade Featherstone, Chloe Langton
Executive Producers Bill & Kumi Martin
Writer Oliver McGoldrick
Cinematographer Gianna Badiali
Editors Oliver McGoldrick, Reuben Hamlyn
Production Designer Marianne Auvinet-Gould, Myles Thompson
Costume Designer Katie Ireland
Casting Director Mary-Ellen O'Hara
Hair & Makeup Stylist Anna Knight
Composer Alex Gray 
Sound Design Ines Adriana
Sound Mixer Matteo Di Cugno
Poster Design Marina Charriton
Sales Ouat Media
Cast Seamus O'Hara, Sean Kearn, Caitriona Hinds, Niall Cusack, Niall Cusack, Olivia Nash, Aidan McCaughey, Colin Carnegie, Conor O'Donnell, Casey Jade Campbell, Lucas Acher
​
Festival selections
​​​​Venezia 81 - Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, Orizzonti Short Films Competition 2024, Italy - World Premiere
​Tirana International Film Festival 2024, Albania
​International Short Film Festival of Cyprus 2024
​Bosphorus Film Festival 2024, Turkey - Grand Prize Award
​Scanorama European Film Forum 2024, Lithuania
​Aguilar Film Festival 2024, Spain
​​​Landshut Short Film Festival 2025, Germany
​​Akbank Short Film Festival 2025, Turkey
​Go Short - International Short Film Festival Nijmegen 2025, Netherlands
International Film Festival of Uruguay 2025
​Ennesimo Film Festival 2025, Italy
​Zlín Film Festival - International Film Festival for Children and Youth 2025, Czech Republic
​​Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025, USA
​​​​​Yerevan International Short Film Festival 2025, Armenia - Best Short Film Award
​​IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025, Bulgaria
​​​​Bašta Fest 2025, Serbia
​Galway Film Fleadh 2025, Ireland - Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama
Indy Shorts International Film Festival 2025, USA
La Guarimba Film Festival 2025, Italy
Curta Kinoforum - São Paulo International Short Film Festival 2025, Brazil
​ANONIMUL International Independent Film Festival 2025, Romania
​​Concorto Film Festival 2025, Italy
​​Gozo Film Festival 2025, Malta
​​Golden Grape International Short Film Festival 2025, Georgia - Best Director Award
​i-Fest International Film Festival 2025, Italy
​​OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival 2025, Ukraine - Jury Grand Prize
PriFest - Prishtina International Film Festival 2025, Kosovo - Best Film Award
Nashville Film Festival 2025, USA
​The Smalls Film Festival 2025, UK
​Dieciminuti Film Festival 2025, Italy - Best Film Award, Best Actor Award for Seamus O'Hara
​Ningbo Short Film Festival 2025, China
​Castiglione del Cinema Film Festival 2025, Italy
​Festival of Nations 2025, Austria
Bolton International Film Festival 2025, UK
Filmfest Sundsvall 2025, Sweden
​IndieCork Film Festival 2025, Ireland
​​​Donosskino Short Film Festival 2025, Spain
​​Monstrale Festival 2025, Germany
​​HaHaArt Film Festival 2025, Portugal
Jakarta Film Week 2025, Indonesia
International Short Film Festival - Film Front 2025, Serbia - Student Jury Award
​Civitanova Film Festival 2025, Italy
​Belfast Film Festival 2025, Northern Ireland 
​Beirut Shorts International Film Festival 2025, Lebanon
Izmir International Short Film Festival 2025, Turkey
Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2025, UK
Reggio Film Festival 2025, Italy
Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest 2025, France
Irish Film Festival London 2025, UK - Best Short Film Award
Planos Film Festival 2025, Portugal - Best Actor Award for Seamus O'Hara
​Lublin Film Festival 2025, Poland
​​New York City Short Film Festival 2025, USA - Best Drama Award
​​Smita Patil International Film Festival 2026, India
​British Shorts Film Festival 2026, Germany
Chicago Irish Film Festival 2026, USA
The Irish Film Festival Los Angeles 2026, USA
IRISH FILM FESTA 2026, Italy
Toronto Irish Film Festival 2026, Canada
International Filmfest Bremen 2026, Germany
​​​Arc Film Festival 2026, Germany
​
Director's Statement
Three Keenings is centred on the tradition of ‘keening’, a mostly forgotten form of vocal lament for the dead in Gaelic Celtic culture, where members of the community unrelated to the deceased would gather and create a tangibility to
the abstract space often left by grief and express it on behalf of the family.
As with many traditions and religious practices, taking
a step back and looking at them through a different lens,
we see the humour and at times the absurdity amongst the earnestness and ceremony.
In my previous work, I have experienced how families deal with illness and death and I have witnessed how tragedy
can oftentimes go hand in hand with a grim humour and cynicism.
I wanted to explore this feeling in making this short film.

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