Senator welcomes actors from Oscar-qualifying short film for screening in Leinster House
The 25-minute short was produced by Run Of The Mill, a theatre group supporting people with intellectual disabilities.
Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly welcomed Run Of The Mill — an inclusive theatre group for people with disabilities — to Kildare Street for a screening of their award-winning film in the audiovisual room.
The cast and crew of early Irish Oscar hopeful Mary Is Missing visited Leinster House last Wednesday for the event.
The 25-minute short was produced by Run Of The Mill, a theatre group supporting people with intellectual disabilities, including Down Syndrome.
The film — a dark comedy whodunnit — won the Grand Prix at the Cork International Film Festival, placing it in contention for Oscar consideration.
Senators and TDs attended the screening, including Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín and Senator O’Reilly.
Senator O’Reilly said: “I was very pleased to have the opportunity to pay tribute to the excellent work Run of The Mill does in supporting people with intellectual disabilities to express themselves creatively and share their voices through film and the arts.
“The AV room in Leinster House is not usually associated with the most uplifting discussions, so it was particularly nice to have something positive and creative to share.”
"The team at Run of the Mill and the actors and actresses have big dreams and even bigger goals but they need to know that in a year’s time they’ll still have funding. They operate on a year-to-year basis which makes it extremely difficult to plan ahead. It also leaves a sense of uncertainty that something which is such a vital cultural outlet could be lost if they miss out on funding. The Government should support these initiatives through multi-annual funding."
Actors from the film, including Mark Smith and Conor Beglin, attended, alongside writer-director Aisling Byrne and producer Killian Coyle.
Aisling Byrne told the gathering: “Culture is how we understand ourselves as a society, so the arts are a powerful tool. Ireland’s cultural landscape is richer when it represents everyone.”