A Belfast filmmaker has been inspired by the Belfast Fleadh to bring his gothic horror movie to the big screen.
Anthony McKenna hopes his in-production short film, set in Co Donegal during the Great Famine, can build on the all-island buzz generated last month by the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
Writing, directing and starring in The Bar at the End of the World, the Belfast creative is seeking public support in bringing the “slow-burning psychological thriller” set in a remote coastal village to life.
Key to the project, which is being produced with the support of the Belfast Filmmaking Club, is the use of detailed miniatures for sets to help create the otherworldly atmosphere.
The lovingly crafted miniatures include the titular bar itself, as well as Donegal’s wild untamed landscapes.
Anthony has a keen interest in folklore and folk horror, and describes the project as an “Irish gothic” tale of a grieving tenant farmer “haunted not by the death of his wife, but by the fear that he is beginning to forget her”.
The Belfast man will star as the farmer Fergal at the centre of the story, in which the rugged land around him contains the memories of those who have disappeared.
Anthony said writing the script allowed him to face aspects of his own experiences with mental health and “gave me somewhere to put difficult feelings”.
The film’s cast also includes Donegal performer Nicole Sweeney-Kelly. And Antony said last month’s Fleadh – and the festival’s return to Belfast next summer – highlights a growing appetite for all-Ireland creativity.
“The Fleadh showed what can happen when Belfast becomes a meeting point for the whole island,” he said.
“People want to experience work rooted in our shared culture. Although our film is a different art form, it comes from the same belief – that stories do not stop at the border and that Belfast can help bring an all-Ireland story to an international audience.
“This is a story that crosses borders. It is being developed in Belfast, draws its identity from Donegal and explores a history and emotional inheritance shared by people throughout Ireland and across the diaspora.”
He said of the themes to be explored: “The film is about grief, memory and the fear of losing someone for a second time when your memories of them begin to fade.
“At its heart is the idea that people may be gone and names may be forgotten, but the land remembers.”
The crafting of the film’s ethereal miniatures has been aided through model-making company Green Stuff World.
“The miniatures are not simply scenery,” Anthony said.
“They represent memory, history and landscape. Their handmade imperfections are important because the world of the film should feel as though it has been remembered rather than manufactured.”
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help raise funds for the project, which also aims to feature an original score.
“We have built the world, assembled the team and brought the project this far. Now we are asking people to help us take the next step and put that world on screen,” Anthony added.
