6 years ago, I went up to Knocknaheeny in the North of Cork City to take photos on Bonfire Night. I got chatting with these sound teenagers and was taken aback by their total lack of self-confidence. And that was just in the two lads we were talking to. The other couldn’t even speak to us, he just disappeared into the background and drank his can. One of the lads after thanked us for taking photos of them and especially for chatting said it meant a lot to him “fuck all people wanna chat to us”. Alongside this, you’d see all these confident and hilarious kids of all ages, up at the crack of dawn scavenging timber and pallets for their fires, organised and working hard as teams to build them. On the one hand, you’ve got these unbelievably confident, capable, and smart kids and on the other, you see versions of them a few years later who feel like they’re worthless. This contrast really stayed with me and when I spoke with Alan O'Gorman (writer) about it, it spawned the idea for this short.

Brendan Canty has forged his way as one of the music exciting and prolific Irish directors to watch. His early career enjoyed large success with his video for Hozier's 'Take Me to Church' (which has since surpassed a billion views on Youtube along with two MTV VMA nominations), since then Brendan has gone on to direct consistently elegant and visually stunning music videos for top international artists. In 2017 Brendan directed 'For You' (starring Barry Keoghan) which went on to win a Kinsale Shark and was nominated for an IFTA. In 2019, Brendan directed a second short film - 'Christy' - funded through Screen Ireland, which he's currently developing as a feature with BBC Films.