IFTA-nominated filmmakers Souljacker (Origins) have received support from the Cavan Arts Office for a new live-action short to be filmed in the area. Sean Smith has written and will direct Irish-based horror ‘The Gloaming’ which will be filmed over two days in Bruskey bogland in Cavan.
Filming is due to begin at the end of April, with Smith and his Souljacker partner Brian O’Brien looking to recruit as many Cavan natives as possible to fill crew roles. Already on board are Cavan-born Matthew Smith (assistant on Game of Thrones) and Kevin McGahern (Hardy Bucks), who will play the lead.
‘The Gloaming’, an ancient Celtic word meaning twilight, will be a hybrid of English and Irish language dialogue, and will be Smith’s directing debut. Hoping this short will pave the way for a longer feature film, Smith has also received funding from the Irish Film Board (IFB) for a sci-fi script he has written called ‘Kidsmoke’.
Although in its very early stages, the IFB has funded Smith with a €12,000 grant to finalise the screenplay. For what he calls a “complicated script”, Smith is keen to direct ‘Kidsmoke’ himself. Smith plans to shoot ‘Kidsmoke’ in an urban part of Ireland, but is waiting for the script to be complete before moving on to production details.
