Short film on defective blocks crisis to premier at Inishowen film festival

A short film drama about the defective concrete blocks crisis will premiere at the Disappear Here film festival in Ballyliffin this weekend.

Where Will We Go? is a drama that transports the audience into the nightmare of living in a defective concrete home. 

The film tells the story of Emma, who with her father away,  is left to her own devices in their impacted home. Isolated amongst the daunting cracks, she must piece together all that remains. 

It was shot in the winter of 2021 over four days in Culdaff by a  team of 10 student filmmakers who wanted to create a piece that would highlight the devastating impact of the ongoing defective concrete crisis. 

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The drama is one of 50 short films, 15 documentaries and seven feature films, along with an exciting array of music videos and animated work, appearing at the Disappear Here festival between Friday, September 29 and Sunday, October 1.

Producer Billy Buckley said artists and filmmakers have a responsibility to create work that reflects the world around them. 

“We made the film to show affected homeowners that there are creative young people here who support them and are driven to amplify their experiences of the crisis. Coming from Dublin, Belfast and Galway, the production team was shocked to find most young adults and city homeowners had no idea the defective concrete crisis existed.” 

Writer and director Rory Fitzpatrick said he was motivated to create the film when he witnessed the outcry by innocent homeowners living in defective concrete homes. 

“The crisis became a personal issue to me when my family discovered our holiday home in Donegal was made with defective concrete blocks. However, I didn’t realise the true extent of the issue until I immersed myself in the Inishowen area. Here, you cannot ignore their outcry. It is everywhere in Donegal. These people need help, urgently. 

“Yet living in Dublin I saw none of it, it seemed like a distant concept and most people in the city weren’t even aware of the crisis existing. The more I researched, the more heartbroken I felt for the residents of Donegal. Without any say in it they have been burdened with this atrocity and are being ignored by the rest of the country. 

“I wanted to help in some way. Throughout my research, I had noticed that media coverage was sparse, especially media that would capture the attention of the politically active youth. I wanted to create a film that would raise awareness of the issue through emotional language and bring the film to festivals across Ireland and Internationally. I hope that in some way this film will make people aware of the issue and encourage support. This issue needs to be resolved; Donegal cannot be forgotten again.” 

Mr Fitzpatrick is a previous winner of Galway Film Fleadh’s 1-minute film contest for My Father Taught Me To Swing An Axe (2019). Cinematographer Grainne Galvin  led an all-female camera crew to capture the film. Where Will We Go? stars Lir Academy graduate Niamh Bird as Emma.

Where Will We Go? will premiere on Saturday, September 30th in Screen 2 at Ballyliffin Hotel as part of Irish Shorts Programme 2 from 2pm to  3.30pm. Tickets are available at the box office or online.