BYE-CHILD
Interview: Writer/Director, Bernard MacLaverty
Producer, Andrew Bonner
Short, UK, 2003, 17mins,
Kodak S16mm
Take a shocking real-life event from living memory, an evocative poem by a lauded Irish poet, mix together using an acclaimed Irish novelist having a strong sense of vision and former school teacher who can see on-screen potential, neither of whom have ever made a film before. Result? A BAFTA nomination for a remarkable short film, Bye-Child.
| Hide & Seek Boy | David Stratton |
| Bye-Child as a Baby | Ruari Ceddell |
| Hide & Seek Boy | Paul Stuart |
| Woman | Susan Lynch |
| Priest | Brian Devlin |
| Paddy's Father | Patrick FitzSymons |
| Father | Dick Holland |
| Paddy | Daniel McGrady |
| Bye-Child | Jenna McCormick |
| Production Designer | Barbara-Anne Carville |
| Line Producer NI | Neil Martin |
| Production Manager | Lisa Woods |
| Production Accountant | Ian Reid |
| Writer/Director | Bernard MacLaverty |
| Sound Supervisor | Deke Thompson |
| Associate Producer | Inge Sorensen |
| Producer | Andrew Bonner |
| Film Editor | Bert Eeles |
| Executive Producer | Garfield Kennedy |
| Executive Producer | David Griffith |
| Emma McNeill | |
| Director of Photography | Oliver Cheesman |
A crippled farmer watches the moon landings on TV, whilst a woman works in a farmhouse kitchen, watched silently from the darkness outside. Next day, a boy playing hide and seek discovers the dark secret of the henhouse, after which, even darker secrets must be revealed.
Inspired by a poem, with first time director Bernard MacLaverty and first-time producer Andrew Bonner, supported by co-producers Posh Pictures the project secured backing from Scottish Screen, Northern Ireland Film & Television Commission and The Scottish Arts Council. Shot in Northern Ireland with Scottish and Irish crew Bye-Child became a BAFTA short film nominee. .
Poetry in Motion,
Festivals & Awards
BAFTA nominee February 2004
London Film Festival October 2003
French Film Festival Edin. Nov 2003
Foyle Film Festival Derry, Nov 2003
Halloween Sh.Film Fest Lon.Jan2004
Press comments
'Nothing less than brilliant....MacLaverty proves himself truely multi-talented with his deft direction of this tragic tale.'
- SUNDAY HERALD
?Shocking Debut from Irish Director?
- IRISH WORLD
?A Scary Little Jewel of a Film?
- THE HERALD
'A macabre snapshot of how the modern and the medieval can co-exist.'
- THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Lyrical, harsh, poetic....It's denouement is truely haunting. A sense of edgy fantasy is evoked...a scary little jewel of a film'
- THE HERALD
'Rises to a fantastic crescendo..everything is revealed in haunting flashback and hard-hitting conclusion'
- HOTDOG
'Disturbing and beautiful'
- BBC RADIO 4 WOMAN'S HOUR
'Powerful and deeply moving'
- BBC RADIO LONDON THE BIG PICTURE
'A dark Gothic gem'
- BBC RADIO SCOTLAND THE ARTS SHOW
Website
www.byechildfilm.com
