Wonderful to have my short story A Thin Red Stitch published in
The Ogham Stone Literary Journal 2024.
A Thin Red Stitch
Tag Archives: Caroline E Farrell
Caroline Farrell
VIMEO LINK TO CAROLINE’S FILMS
A ‘Stowe Story Labs’ Launch Fellow 2023, Caroline was also the recipient of a Stowe Story Labs/Screen Ireland Screenwriting Fellowship in 2022. In 2020, she made a short experimental film, HEART(h) themed around the emotions of grief and isolation during lockdown. It screened at the Little Cinema Galway.
In 2018, Caroline wrote and directed the short film FRAMED, selected for screening at over 30 festivals worldwide. It also won ‘Best Short Horror Film’ at the Underground Cinema Film Festival, Ireland. 2019. She has written and co-produced the short films ADAM [2013] and the multi-award winning IN RIBBONS [2015], the only Irish short film to screen at the ‘Women Deliver Global Conference’ in Copenhagen in 2016.
Caroline is the author of the novel, LADY BETH, ‘Best Novel’ at The Carousel Aware Prize Awards 2017 (Ireland) and the winner of an Eric Hoffer Award 2019 (Mystery/Thriller Category) (USA). Her short stories have been published in The Ogham Stone Literary Journal, Epoque Press Ezine, Entropy Magazine, Woman’s Way Magazine and Revival Literary Journal.
An Omen? Or just the flutterings of a dumb bird?
A Raven sits on my mantelpiece, surveying all and sundry with a haughty eye. Arkyne, as I call him, is cast iron, in body and, yes, I believe, in spirit. He travelled here from a curio and antiques store in a small town called Cashmere in Washington, USA. As I recall, the suitcase didn’t make it onto our flight home from Seattle, well not until two days later, and I worried so for Arkyne, if he would ever get here. My treasured dark-winged harvester.
So, the other day, while we were out, we got a call from our neighbour that our house alarm was going off. Turning back from our journey, all the usual scenarios went through my head, but reaching home, there was silence, the house unturned, except for the strange and unusual code that flashed on the alarm keypad. A number we had never seen before.
And then I ascended the stairs, and coming at me, invoking my best Tippi Hedren screech and dramatic pose, were two flapping black wings and a haughty eye, heading straight for mine! As I cowered against the impending gouging, my hysterical cry of It’s a bird! somehow translated to It’s a burglar! as it reached the ears of my better half, now downstairs in the kitchen. Thundering up the stairs he bounded, my defender, prepared to face down this unseen intruder, his face – and mine – creasing to confusion as neither burglar – nor bird – presented on the landing!
As my heart rate fluttered downwards, for a moment, I will admit, my very dark and fertile imagination wondered if Arkyne was still on the mantelpiece; if we had somehow found him out. Had we come upon his free gaff flight of fancy? Was this how he spent his time when we were not at home?
Yes, my better half gave me that same pitying get a grip look that you would probably like to give me right now.
We found the dark-winged intruder perched on my favourite chair. My husband opened the window, ordered him off the premises, and out he flew, though not before he hovered for a minute, eye to eye with the source of his liberation. Perhaps to say thanks? Perhaps to depart some omen, some warning, some message… or perhaps, it was simply a look of sympathy to the poor man having to live with this dumb bird!
ADAM Short Film: View it here…
Many years ago, I wrote a short story about a little boy struggling as he witnesses the violent arguments between his parents. A loner who does not smile, ADAM is 7 and deeply affected by the violence at home, the constant tension and the spoken and the unspoken messages he is too young to comprehend.
He likes wearing his daddy’s motorcycle helmet. No-one can see him under there, in the secret world behind the black visor, his impenetrable armour. Inside there, he can be afraid and he can hide the shame he feels, though he’s not sure what he has done wrong. No-one can see him cry, and no-one can see him getting angry…
Fast forward to 2012, and from my adapted script, our short film came to be. Time to let ADAM out into in the world now (with a mindful warning for the faint-hearted of the violence and bad language therein).
Click on the VIMEO Link to view ADAM
I would also like to repeat my big thanks and respect to the following for the grunt work applied to get this film made on a tiny budget. The mighty talented, and big-hearted Denise Pattison, Director. Gar Daly, Cinematographer. John King, Editor, Brynmor Pattison, Sound. Amy O’Neill, Make-Up. And to our superb actors, Johnny Elliott, Sinead Monaghan, Aideen McLoughlin, and Eric McGuirk (ADAM). Also, big thanks to Errol Farrell for the saintly patience and support!
IN RIBBONS to Screen at Women Deliver World Conference 2016
Delighted in me bones that IN RIBBONS will screen at the prestigious Women Deliver World Conference 2016, which takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark from May 16th – 19th. This global conference unites thousands of world influencers, policymakers, activists, journalists, and young people from over 150 countries to spotlight solutions and focus on how to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) matter most for girls and women. Founder Jill Sheffield and CEO Katja Iverson articulate concisely the aim of the conference, “Our message is simple and powerful: Sustainable development is possible only when girls and women are healthy and thriving. Women deliver so much more than babies. They deliver for themselves, their families, their communities, and their societies. When you invest in girls and women, there is a ripple effect and everybody wins.”
Screening at the Arts and Cinema Corner, an initiative which aims to transform a section of the conference into a creative space for showcasing international artists and creative work, I can’t articulate enough what an absolute honour it is for all involved to be part of a conference that advocates for women’s rights, health and well-being in such a prestigious and meaningful process. And it is such a credit to the conference organisers through their recognition and showcasing of how the medium of film can have a place in expressing the profound and the important through the universal language of visceral image and action. The only Irish film to screen amongst an amazing selection from all over the world, it will be shown on Wednesday,18th May. In addition to lunchtime workshops with world-renowned directors, producers, and poets, partial film screenings will run consecutively throughout the three days.
An Independent production, part personal money, part crowdfunded and also part funded through a bursary award from Kildare County Council Arts Service, IN RIBBONS is beautifully directed/edited by Marie Valerie Jeantelot. Starring Patrick O’Donnell, Geraldine McAlinden, Melissa Nolan and Rebecca Waldron, line produced and set design by Tom Dowling, sound and music by Neil Horner and cinematography by Basil Al-Rawi, the theme of the film is resilience and through a highly visual and sensory narrative, tells the story of a little girl’s journey to an orphanage in 1960’s Ireland. The film continues to screen at festivals worldwide and has won coveted awards including the Jury Prize at the Worcestershire Film Festival 2015, Best Experimental Film at both the Los Angeles Cinefest, February 2016 and The Seadance Film Festival, Spain 2016, and was also awarded Best Director [Marie Valerie Jeantelot] and Best Sound [Neil Horner] at the Wolves Independent IFF in Lithuania, 2016.
More information on the conference can be found on their website
carolinefarrell 