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' CountryUnited Kingdom/Ireland/USA Shooting Format 4k Digital Aspect Ratio2.35:1 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 ComposerAlex Gray Sound DesignInes Adriana Sound MixerMatteo Di Cugno Poster DesignMarina 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 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.
