FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

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

"We began developing the idea for Our House three years ago, when Callum was Village Films' in-house development producer. Back then it was about three estranged brothers being attacked by a cult, and the transition to a more grounded story came naturally as we discovered the most interesting aspect was actually the doomed relationship of the siblings. The oldest child Patrick became Patricia, and the house became the topic for the conflict to revolve around. Once we had it in a place that we were happy with, we brought it to Paul at Village, and then later Ursula at NI Screen, and continued chipping away at the script until it got funded by NI Screen's New Talent Focus Scheme for debut filmmakers."

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

"Our House is quite stunt heavy, so it's always massively satisfying to see certain set-pieces you had written come to life physically. I also really enjoyed the film's post-production in an unexpected way. It felt like our editor Kate and I really had the time and freedom to investigate many different directions the film could have taken, and deconstructing it like that was incredibly illuminating. The months we spent editing this film transformed the story in a way I'd never felt in my prior work."

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

"I really feel blessed to have had the cast that we did. I think our actors are some of the strongest emerging talent Ireland has to offer and I'm incredibly excited to work with all of them again in the future. It felt like our siblings (Michael Shea, Andy Doherty, and Hannah McClean) became family off-screen in a way that informed a lot of how their on-screen family should behave."

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

"Our films premiere was at opening night of this year's Galway Film Fleadh, and it was an incredibly special moment for me. I've loved and respected Irish Cinema for as long as I can remember, and that screening felt like the moment I was truly welcome as part of our industry here.

I think now more than ever there is a hunger for Irish voices in cinema, with all of the films coming out of here that are a breakout success and all of our stars who are becoming worldwide sensations. We have something here that's very unique that nowhere else can recreate, whether that’s the beauty of the land itself, our colloquial humour or the richness of our stories and our lore. There's nowhere else I would rather make films than right here, so to be considered for the IFTA Awards is an honour."