Mayo film making TV debut

BACKWATER, a short film that shot in Mayo in 2018, will be making its television debut on Virgin Media One this Sunday (March 1) at 11 p.m.

The film was written and directed by Brendan McCallion and co-written by Frank O'Malley, a Mayo native, who also produced the film. It was was shot on location in Aughagower and Westport.

The Film Mayo website report that since premiering at the 30th Galway Film Fleadh, Backwater has been screened at festivals such as the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland, and the Newport Beach Film Festival in the US.

It has won three Royal Television Society UK awards for Best Drama, Best Camera, and Best Editing in the Undergraduate Categories and has also received awards from the Richard Harris Film Festival, Disappear Here Film Festival and LA Film Awards.

The film tells the story of Tommy, who has been trapped in the depths of rural Ireland for many years. His sense of duty keeps him here looking after his sickly father.

After the death of his mother, his older sister returns home. They both have callings, and both have to fulfill a promise to their mother, no matter how difficult it is.