From Kilmaine to California: Eamonn Keane’s Irish film heads for America
As a five-year-old growing up in Kilmaine, Eamonn Keane could never have imagined that one day he would sit in a cinema in America and watch a film he had produced on the big screen
For Eamonn Keane, the journey from watching films as a child in Kilmaine to seeing one he produced screened in California and Florida is one he could hardly have imagined.
Now, at 48, the Mayo filmmaker and founder of Red Hopper Films is preparing to travel to the United States as his latest short film production, Emergency Accommodation, heads for two major festivals.
The comedy-drama will have its US premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival in California on Friday, October 16, before travelling across the country for its East Coast premiere at the Naples International Film Festival in Florida, with screenings on Friday, October 23, and on Saturday, October 24.
For a small Irish production, it represents a significant step onto the international stage.
“It’s a great achievement,” says Eamonn. “I wouldn’t have thought that at five years of age, going from watching cinema to actually having something on screen in the US would happen.”
It is a journey that began with a love of films and has gradually developed into a career behind the camera. And this time, he will be there to experience it.
“I’m mostly interested in seeing how American audiences react to the film and how they welcome it,” he says.
A story from modern Ireland
Produced by Eamonn’s Red Hopper Films through the Virgin Media Discovers programme, in conjunction with Screen Ireland, Emergency Accommodation was one of four short films selected for funding.
Directed by Donegal filmmaker Kate Haley and written by GP Sean Connolly, the film stars Joe McGucken as Joe, a man looking for somewhere to sleep who slips Garda custody in a chaotic Emergency Department. Hiding in plain sight, he witnesses first-hand the strain on hospital staff and the realities facing people who find themselves without proper accommodation.
The film shines a light on some of the pressures facing modern Ireland. It explores immigration, race, homelessness and the relentless pressure placed on hospital staff.
Despite touching on serious subjects, the film deliberately avoids becoming relentlessly bleak. For Eamonn, the film succeeds because it does not lose sight of the human side of those issues.
“You see a lot of heavy movies and you’re just trying to get the message,” he says. “But you need a bit of humour in there.”
That humour provides a little breathing space around those difficult subjects.
“In the darkest moments, there’s always a bit of light. I think it’s beautiful to have that,” Eamonn explains.
The film’s themes are rooted in Ireland, but Eamonn believes they will have resonance far beyond the country. Hospitals struggling with demand, exhausted healthcare workers and people experiencing homelessness are realities that audiences in America will recognise too.
“I think there are some universal themes,” he says. “Overworked, overstretched… I don’t think that’s confined to any place in the world.”
Going across the pond
The film had its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention — for a short film, that is an important recognition.
“That’s a big one,” says Eamonn. “It is definitely a good start.”
Eamonn is now looking forward to seeing how the film travels. The US festivals will provide an opportunity not only to introduce Emergency Accommodation to new audiences, but also to make connections with filmmakers and people working in the industry.
“As a filmmaker myself, you can build connections there with people who travel from Ireland and filmmakers there as well,” he says.
And, naturally, there is a little time set aside for enjoying the surroundings.
“I’m going to the beach,” he laughs.
Behind the humour, however, is a serious appreciation for the opportunities available to independent filmmakers in Ireland.
Mayo talent behind the scenes
Although Emergency Accommodation was not filmed in Mayo, there was a strong Mayo contribution behind the scenes. Milo Holmes, Liam McHale and Tom Lynskey, all from the county, worked on the production.
For Eamonn, that is part of what makes the Irish film industry so exciting.
“There are so many filmmakers here, so much crew,” he says. “Ireland is very, very strong in terms of short filmmaking and they punch well above their weight.”
Eamonn is keen to acknowledge the opportunities created by Virgin Media Television and Screen Ireland, whose support gave the production both the funding and a platform to reach audiences.
Support from organisations such as Virgin Media and Screen Ireland, he adds, is crucial in giving emerging filmmakers the opportunity to develop their skills and ideas and, importantly, get their films in front of audiences.
A filmmaker with more stories to tell
For Eamonn, the journey is far from over.
He has been selected as a participant on the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Producing, supported by Screen Ireland and TU Dublin.
As part of the course, he is developing a feature film based on the Padraic Nally case in south Mayo in 2004, a story he hopes will eventually reach cinema screens.
He previously produced and wrote the short film Where The Old Man Lives, which is loosely based on the Nally case and is available on RTÉ Player.
He is also executive producer on the new short Supply Run, directed by Lothian McKenna and starring Academy Award-nominated actor Ciarán Hinds.
So there are plenty more projects ahead.
A personal touch
But for now, Emergency Accommodation is taking centre stage.
And when Eamonn arrives in Newport Beach and later Naples, there will be a particularly personal reminder of how far the journey has taken him.
His wife and two children are appearing as extras in the film, while his wife also worked as a line producer.
“It’s great,” he says. “Even though it’s only a few seconds, it’s there for life.”
For a filmmaker from Kilmaine, seeing the family on screen alongside a film that has travelled all the way to America makes the achievement feel even more special.
“It’s a little pride in films,” he says.
A childhood spent watching films has now come full circle — with a boy from Kilmaine who grew up watching films is now taking his own film across the Atlantic.
There will be a lot to take in when the lights go down in California and Florida. But somewhere in those moments, Eamonn will surely remember that five-year-old boy who simply loved going to the cinema, long before he could have imagined what might happen if he ever got the chance to make a film himself.
More
For more information on Red Hopper Films, visit www.redhopperfilms.com.
There is also a screening of Emergency Accommodation closer to home, at the Kerry International Film Festival in IMC Killarney on Saturday, October 17.