FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

IFTA AWARDS 2026

Hallow Road

Two parents receive a distressing late-night call from their teenage daughter, who has just accidentally hit a pedestrian. They jump in their car, racing to get there before anyone else stumbles across the scene. As they head deeper into the night, disturbing revelations threaten to tear the family apart as they soon realise they might not be the only ones driving down Hallow Road.

Director: Babak Anvari
Writer: William Gillies
Producers: Richard Bolger, Nate Bolotin, Ian Henry, Aram Tertzakian, Lucan Toh.

Filmmaker Q&A

Q: What was the genesis of this film, and how did it evolve over the course of development to production and completion?

William Gillies (Writer): “The genesis of Hallow Road came from my love of contained one-location thrillers like Stephen Knight's Locke and a Danish film called The Guilty, and wanting to do something within those limited constraints, and then to push the thriller elements and then twist them into horror as the film went along. The first story idea of Hallow Road was actually about two paramedics in an ambulance, but I struggled to fully engage with those characters, until really I sat back and wondered ‘What would my parents do if I made this phone call?'. That was the question, the spark that unlocked this entire film."

Q: What did you feel was the most fulfilling element of working on this film?

Babak Anvari (Director): “I think figuring out the challenge of maintaining the attention within the confined space of a car, and also how to make that cinematic and your roller coaster ride, was the fun part of working on this film"

Q: To what extent was your on-screen talent vital to the success of the film?

William: “Rosamund, Matthew and Megan [McDonnell] were, of course, vital to the film. So much rests on their performances. As Rosamund [Pike] and Matthew [Rhys] are on screen the whole time, and the nuances that allow us to understand there's a whole devastating marriage between these characters, and it's on screen for everyone to see. Then Megan, although just limited to this voice role, is really the heart and drive of the film. Without her devastating performance, I don't think the audience would be able to understand the pain of what these parents are going through.”

Babak: "Most of the film is set in a car with two parents talking to their daughter on the phone. So performances were very key, and I was blessed to work with some of the best. When Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys came on board, I told both of them that the vast majority of the film will be your close-ups, and they were not at all phased by it. In fact, they did an amazing, amazing job, not only with the delivery of their lines, but their sort of subtle expressions and micro reactions. So the entire film is anchored on their performances, also the amazing work of the Irish actors, actress Megan McDonnell, who plays their daughter, and even though we mainly hear Megan's voice, she was there every day in a recording booth next to our set and delivering her lines and performing live so that Rosamund and Matthew could really hear her and react to her, that was the only way to make this film work. So yes, the work of all three was so vital."

Q: What does it mean to have your work acknowledged by your peers in the Irish film community and showcased at the IFTA Awards?

William: “It means the world--  without the support of Screen Ireland and the brilliant Irish crew we used to make this film, honestly it probably would never have been made.”

Babak: “The Irish film community really had our backs and continues to do so. And that feels very special. Thank you.”