SHORT #7
OF 15
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“An Irish Goodbye”
FEBRUARY 18, 2023
LAEMMLE NOHO 7
DAY 26
OF 48
Best Live Action Short Film
Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Connection, understanding, and self-discovery are at the heart of this Northern Ireland short “An Irish Goodbye.” Seamus O’Hara (of “Game of Thrones” and “The Northman”) plays Turlough, an Irishman returning home after his mother has passed. He’s reunited with his set-in-his-ways, foul-mouthed brother, Lorcan (James Martin), who has Down Syndrome and needs someone to look after him.
Before Turlough can sell the family farm and move Lorcan in with their aunt, the local pastor, Father O’Shea (Paddy Jenkins), offers up their mother’s dying “bucket list.” Reluctantly, Turlough commits to taking Lorcan and their mother’s urn through each item on the list, like learning Tai Chi and posing for a painting, before heading back to his regular life. Though checking each item off the list, the brothers begin to rekindle their connection.
Another short that deserves a feature, the performances in “An Irish Goodbye” are entirely engaging. The items on the list are pretty small, as you wish they might venture out into the world for them; rather than staying on the farm, the whole film is charming.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
Tom Berkeley
| First-time nominee |
Ross White
| First-time nominee |
In rural Northern Ireland, a pair of estranged brothers reunite following their mother’s untimely death.
Directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Floodlight Pictures
March 4, 2022
23 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best British Short Film [Winner]
Austin Film Festival — Narrative Short (Nominee)
Bengaluru Intl Short Film Festival — Best Short Film / Intl Competition (Nominee)
Brisbane Intl Film Festival — Best Short Film (Nominee)
Cambridge Film Festival — Best Short Film (Nominee)
Chicago Irish Film Festival — Best Short Film [Winner]
Discover Film London Festival — Craghoppers Film Prize [Winner]
FEST New Directors/New Films Festival — Best Short Fiction (Nominee)
In the Palace Intl Short Film Festival — Best Intl Short Film (Nominee)
Indy Shorts Intl Film Festival — Audience Choice Award / Comedy [Winner]
Indy Shorts Intl Film Festival — Comedy Award / Comedy [Winner]
Irish Film Festa — Best Short Film – Drama [Winner]
Leeds Intl Film Festival — Best British Short (Nominee)
Leuven Intl Short Film Festival — European Short Film Competition [Winner]
Leuven Intl Short Film Festival — Best Short Film (Nominee)
Norwich Film Festival — Best British Film [Winner]
Odense Intl Film Festival — Best Intl Short (Nominee)
PÖFF Shorts — Intl Short Film Competition (Nominee)
San Diego Intl Film Festival — Artistic Director’s Award [Winner]
Santa Barbara Intl Film Festival — Best Live Action Short Film (Nominee)
Still Voices Short Film Festival — Best Irish Short Film [Winner]
British Short Film Awards — Best Short Film [Winner]
British Short Film Awards — Jury Award [Winner]
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Le Pupille”
2. “An Irish Goodbye”
3. “The Red Suitcase”
4. “Night Ride”
5. “Ivalu”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Ivalu”
2. “The Red Suitcase”
3. “Le Pupille”
4. “An Irish Goodbye”
5. “Night Ride”
