Saoirse Ronan makes her directorial debut at Venice with an Irish-backed short

Saoirse Ronan’s career has taken an exciting new turn

The short film, supported by Screen Ireland, was both written and directed by the Oscar-nominated actress. Martha Malone leads the cast, alongside KIN star Clare Dunne and Tim Creed.

At the centre of the story is a young girl who takes an unusual stand against the situation at home, refusing to return until her father, whose presence has become disruptive, is gone. 

Her actions leave her mother with a painful decision to make about the future of their family.

Paper Plane was chosen from 2,500 short film submissions and is competing for the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.

Saoirse Ronan has been dreaming of directing for years

Ronan has previously spoken about her desire to direct, revealing that Greta Gerwig encouraged her to experience the preparation process before committing to the move behind the camera.

“I'd love to do that [directing] next,” Ronan said. “That was always a passion of mine.”

She also credited producing with giving her a better understanding of the decisions that have to be made early in a project.

“It just made me feel more confident as well as a storyteller being involved that early in the project,” she explained.