Film made for KinoD wins in the west

By Jessica Thompson

A Mullingar dance instructor has won joint top prize at The Western Front Studios Short film competition (part of the Westport Westival Arts and Music Festival) with a three-minute film she made during the recent KinoD 48-hour movie making challenge, as part of Culture Night 2024.

Siobhán Moore is a teacher at Dionysus School of Dance in Mullingar and had never made a film in her life, or at least not behind the camera – she has plenty of experience with being filmed for stage performances, dance and commercials.

“But I wasn’t the main director or the producer,” she laughed.

“Liam Hall Walshe is a brilliant filmmaker in Westmeath and his aim was to bring KinoD to Mullingar and he did. It was amazing. So that’s when I went down to join in and that’s how it all began for us.

“I met the most amazing team and for them I am so very grateful. I couldn’t have done this without them and I feel so lucky to have met such an incredibly talented cast and crew who believed in my ideas and wanted to work with me.”

The short is called ‘One Life’. It is created in the style of a letter to Siobhán’s three daughters, Noëlla, Elsie and Lucy, who also star in the film.

“And they weren’t acting,” Siobhán said, “they were just being children so we got shots of them rolling down the hills, shots of them jumping in muddy puddles, shots of them just being innocent, you know, like, that wonderful innocent kind of freedom we embrace as a child.

“And basically my message is all about respecting nature and the beauty of childhood, innocence and freedom, the importance of wellbeing and mindfulness, remembering the true meaning of what really makes us happy, as we move through our childhood and adulthood. Money isn’t everything. Health and happiness is.”

Shot on the shores of Lough Owel, the three-minute film was written, filmed, scored and edited between 8pm on Wednesday September 18, and 5pm on Friday September 20, before being debuted at Mullingar Omniplex later that night.

Siobhán has always had a creative side, particularly with dance, and she feels like filmmaking is something she could continue doing.

“I feel like in a past life maybe I was involved in film and I’ve always loved being on the other side of film, but when I got to the other side of the camera I was like, wow, I equally love this side. I would love to explore this way more,” she said.

The three-minute clip features involvement from dancer Jorge Mattos, Qigong Master Alan Kane and sound therapist Olive MacDonagh of Butterfly Cottage Retreat. Siobhán wrote and spoke as the voiceover for the movie.

The filming and editing of ‘One Life’ was by Miroslaw Wycka, who was also involved in the sound mix alongside Ken McHugh, composer of H2O, music which features in the film.

Siobhán is also grateful to Lorraine Murphy, Emily Murphy, Darragh Moore and family, Liam Hall Walshe, and all at Columbia Bar, Mullingar Arts Centre and KinoD for their support and involvement in getting the short film to the big screen.

“I never ever thought that I could give my children something like this. I know they don’t understand it right now because they’re young and for them they’re like ‘oh yeah that was great’,” Siobhán said.

“But I think it’s only when they’re older, they’ll go ‘oh my goodness this is from my mam; my mam wrote this to us’ and I think it will be really special for them then, you know?”