Pentecost 11 minutes n
Friday 12:00p
Plays in Oscar Shorts (p56) Director/Screenwriter: Peter McDonald n
Patrick Jordan n Editor: John O’Connor n Producer: Eimear O’Kane n
emuproductions.ie Music/Composer: John McPhillips n
Cinematographer: Principal Cast:
Andrew Bennett, Scott Graham, Eamon Hunt, Michael McElhatton, Des Nealon, Valerie Spelman, Don Wycherley n
In 1977 Ireland an 11-year-old boy learns to rebel against his father and the community in a funny coming-of-age story. Against his will, Damian Lynch is called in at the last moment to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in the local parish. Following his last failed appearance as an altar boy, he is serving a three month ban from his only passion in life — football.
To make matters worse, Damian’s team, Liverpool FC, is playing in its first European cup final in two weeks’ time. His father offers him a reprieve and a chance to see the big game if he serves the mass correctly. Damien now faces a choice: either conform to the status quo or never watch his beloved Liverpool play again.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Live Action).
Peter McDonald Director’s Statement
I was an altar boy in 1970s “Catholic” Ireland and being on the altar is a very public event. Exposing. You don’t want to get it wrong. The bigger the mass, the bigger the pressure. I am also a Liverpool fan. So I drew on those experiences to create the young hero of Damian.
The juxtaposition of the world of a small parish with the behind-the-scenes machinations of a second division football club just grew and grew. It was funny and it emphasised the high stakes involved and the active transfer of pressure and responsibility from the adults (father and clergy) onto the shoulders of the young hero. Just like a junior football team and not a million miles from the tradition of Catholicism! They play out their story and Damian plays out his. For one beautiful moment he holds all the power. He decides his destiny. He makes a stand.
Selected Filmography: Directorial Debut
2010 n
Ireland
Raju 24 minutes n
2010 n Friday 12:00p
Plays in Oscar Shorts (p56) Director/Screenwriter/Editor: Max Zähle n
School n Cinematographer: Sin Huh n Julia Richter n
raju-film.com
Producers: Stefan Gieren, Hamburg Media Principal Cast: Krish Guupta, Wotan Wilke Möhring,
A childless German couple adopts four year old Raju from an orphanage in Kolkata. When the boy disappears and the Indian police give them little hope, the adoptive parents realize they are part of the problem. [subtitles]
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Live Action), and winner of a Student Academy Award: Foreign Film.
Max Zähle Hamburg Media School
Director’s Statement
This short film tells the story of a human drama. A young, childless couple without the chance of getting a natural child comes to Kolkata to adopt a child, who then disappears. The most interesting part is the thin line between scruple and empathy: How far is the couple willing to go in order to fulfill their longing for a child? To what extent do they yield to their need and make themselves accomplices? Jan and Sarah are the living example for this moral conflict: Is there a right to have a child?
Selected Filmography: Alex, Haste ma...?, Der Untermieter 71
Germany, India
shorts
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