‘The Party’ has considerable talent behind it; written by actor Conor MacNeill (The Fall), directed by Andrea Harkin (BBC’s Clique), and produced by Farah Abushwesha (Irreplaceable You) and Emmet Fleming (Out of Here) it is now nominated for the Best British Short Film BAFTA award. This riveting film received the Award of Excellence from Global Shorts Competition, was the winner of Cork Film Festival Nomination for the European Film Academy award and was invited to screen at a number of prestigious film festivals including Palm Springs ShortFest.
Belfast 1972. Laurence welcomes his cousin and man- on-the-run Mickey to a party of drinking, dancing and young love. By morning, reality catches up with them.
The Party boasts a cast of some of the most exciting new talent such as Anthony Boyle (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Niall McNamee (The Foreigner), Eileen O’Higgins (Brooklyn), Ross McKinney (Game of Thrones) and Joanne Crawford (The Fall).
Producer, Emmet Fleming was nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, which was also the home of his debut feature film’s premiere, Out of Here. His short film, Joy, received a Special Jury Mention in Galway, having previously screened at SXSW. Farah Abushwesha’s impressive body of work includes Pressure, with Danny Huston and Matthew Goode, and Don’t Hang Up, starring Sienna Guillory. Her upcoming projects include Irreplaceable You, and Danny Huston’s The Last Photograph. Farah is also a best-selling author and has produced comedy content for the White House (under the Obama Administration).
After establishing himself as a successful actor with roles in Five Minutes of Heaven, The Fall and Love & Friendship, Conor MacNeill has gone on to simultaneously make his mark as a writer, with his script for The Party being selected by the Irish Film Board as part of their ‘After ’16 Scheme’ to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising. Similarly, director Andrea Harkin is fast becoming a name to watch with her upcoming work on BBC show Clique and Channel4’s Coming Up series.
In addition to its BAFTA nomination, The Party was also selected by the Encounters Short Film Festival, Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival and Audi Dublin International Film Festival.
All that is left to be seen is if this captivating film takes home a BAFTA in 2017.
Watch Trailer of The Party by Andrea Harkin: