'Wormhole in the Washer' winning on film circuit
A Westmeath film-maker has won two awards for his short comedy film, Wormhole in the Washer.
Writer/ director Paireac Keane, who lives in Tyrrellspass with his family, picked up awards for Best Comedy (as director) and Best Editor (as editor) at the 13th Underground Cinema Awards ceremony held at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.
The film, shot on location in County Offaly, is about a struggling science-fiction writer who discovers a portal to a parallel universe in his washing machine where he meets a better version of himself; or so it seems.
Regarding his awards success, Paireac said: "I'm delighted, not just for myself but for all the cast and crew.
"A lot of talented people worked on this film, and this award (Best Comedy) is a win for all of us."
His partner, Gráinne McCormack, a Mullingar native originally from Lynn Cross, also worked on the film as production manager.
Gráinne said: "It was a challenging project to plan for. The four-day shoot was complex from a logistical point of view, but we got there in the end and had plenty of laughs along the way."
The film picked up nine nominations in total, and Paireac also received nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Short Film.
Wormhole in the Washer has enjoyed a successful run on the international film festival circuit to date, and won Best Comedy at the Dublin Short Film and Music Festival; and received nominations for Best Comedy at the Unrestricted View Film Festival (UK), Best Overall Short Film at the Richard Harris International Film festival (Ireland) and Best Sci-fi Short at Genreblast Film Festival (USA).
In addition to his work as a film-maker, Paireac runs his own company, King Tree Media, producing video content for brands, businesses and creative video agencies.
He is also a certified drone operator with the Irish Aviation Authority.
Wormhole in the Washer will screen at two more festivals in early December; the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival and Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco.