THE SILENT PEOPLE with LIE OF THE LAND
Special Features: Welcome by Andrew Elliott, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America | Q&A with director Keith O'Grady and actor Abby Oliveira (THE SILENT PEOPLE) and director John Carlin (LIE OF THE LAND)
Post-screening drinks reception sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau
THE SILENT PEOPLE
The third recipient of the Norman Houston Short Film Award, Derry-born writer/director Keith O'Grady's THE SILENT PEOPLE is a taut, unflinching look at the impact of economic vulnerability on a young couple in Northern Ireland. Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living and housing crises in Dublin, a young mixed-race Scotswoman and a working-class Irish singer from Tallaght are evicted without warning. After a year of living homeless on the streets, they chance upon the landlord who evicted them and set out for revenge. DIR/SCR Keith O'Grady; PROD Joan Burney Keatings. Ireland, 2023, b&w, 18 min. NOT RATED
Followed by:
East Coast Premiere
LIE OF THE LAND (2023)
Crippled by debt, aging couple Kath and Matthew Ward struggle to hold on to their smallholding in rural County Antrim. Forced to sell their beloved herd and feeling defeated, the couple plan to escape their dire financial situation with the help of a mysterious stranger, Shepherd, who has offered safe passage to a new life in the sun for a fee. As the Wards prepare to abandon their home and the farm that has been in Kath's family for generations, a last-minute change of heart has deadly consequences, and they must fight with everything they've got for their survival. This tense, suspenseful drama is the feature debut of Northern Irish filmmaker John Carlin. Created through Northern Ireland Screen's New Talent Focus, it won Best Irish First Feature at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh. DIR John Carlin; SCR Tara Hegerty; PROD Margaret McGoldrick, Chris Patterson. Ireland, 2023, color, 80 min. NOT RATED
No AFI member passes accepted.
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, March 01, 2024
Genre: Thriller