Actor Brian McCarthy, who is from Dunmanway, is fundraising for a film being made right here, in his native West Cork
Tell us your background.
I am Brian McCarthy, an actor and filmmaker from Dunmanway. I have been pursuing acting and filmmaking as a career since 2021, on screen I’ve acted in several different shorts such as my directorial debut short film; The Burning at Ballymanny as Micheál, which was recently nominated for Best in Cork at The Fastnet Film Festival in Schull, Tom in the feature film; A Passing Place which premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh 2023.
I will next appear in the Actor as Creator/Screen Ireland short film Weight. On stage, I have recently appeared in Enemy of The Republic as Jimmy/Mr. Blackburn and I will next appear as Hamlet in PLAY alongside Pat Kinevane in August.
You can also catch me on your TV in the current summer Guinness advertisement. Besides this, my dad Pat and I have been acting for fun on stage our whole lives.
Your father is a big inspiration.
Since I was old enough to walk I have been involved in community theatre with my dad. We travelled the road together, watched plays, watched each other, and shared our passion.
But one thing has been missing; we’ve never acted together. We’ve been in the same play; Kilmeen Drama Group’s The Field by John B. Keane in 2006 but never simultaneously on stage.
In 2019 we also were on the amateur drama circuit in the plays The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Kilmeen and Push Up by The Moat Club. We were nominated for Best Actor on the same night in two different festivals.
Dad’s the reason I act and the reason I have pursued this career. He’s my inspiration. We came up with the idea of making a short film called; ‘Culchie.’ We can create something from the ground up, and watch together until we’re old and grey.
What is Culchie about?
‘Culchie’ is a semi-autobiographical dark comedy about a farming father and son, Luke and Finbarr. The film centres around guilt in rural Ireland. The guilt of not living up to your parent’s expectations, disappointing your family, and not knowing how to calve a cow.
Will Luke choose the well-worn path, or forge his own? If you’ve ever heard a parent/guardian say; ‘’I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.’’ Then you get what it’s about.
So you’ve started a GoFundMe?
Times are tight right now and this film will be self-funded but sometimes that’s not enough. Our crew and artists must get paid for their work, and your donation will go towards hard-working people. Paying for food, travel, and accommodation during filming and post-
production.
All donations are welcome and will be acknowledged in the film’s credits. Our fundraising target is €2,000. If you would like to support us you can check out www.gofundme.com/culchie-short-film. You will also find regular updates on filming and releases right there.
When do you hope to go into production?
We can go into production this summer if all goes well. We are keen to have the film premiere at film festivals later this year.
Where will you be filming?
We will be filming right here in West Cork. The production revolves around this area. It’s important to show our home in the best light, in a real story. This story is all about our land and our connection to it, what it means to us and our families.
