Saoirse Ronan’s award-winning directorial debut film gets Irish premiere this week

Having played at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, the film features Kin star Clare Dunne.

Having played at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and won an award recently at the Austin Film Festival, the short will screen as part of the Cork event's Irish Shorts 1 selection. This is taking place on Friday, 13 November.

JOE got a chance to see Paper Plane early. The 15-minute movie follows a mother (Kin’s Clare Dunne) and her young daughter, Fay (Martha Malone), who have fallen out.

That’s because Fay does not approve of her mam’s romantic partner. As Fay refuses to enter the family home until the man is gone for good, the mother and daughter communicate via paper planes.

JOE's review of Paper Plane

While Ronan has already established herself as one of the world’s greatest actors, Paper Plane suggests she may have another career behind the camera.

Despite limited time and dialogue, she creates a central relationship you really care about and builds to a scene of genuine emotional catharsis.

Helping Ronan with this are two great central performances and a transcendent use of Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Say a Little Prayer’.

JOE's review of The Dead House

Screening alongside Paper Plane in the Irish Shorts 1 selection is The Dead House, the latest from director Aaron Chalke (The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty), which we also got to see in advance.

The story centres on a father (another Kin alum in Francis Magee) and his adult son (writer Martin Beanz Warde) who gather at their family home for a loved one’s funeral. There, the pair have a one-to-one conversation, where past resentments and hopes for the future come to light.

Less than 10 minutes long, it’s impressive how much emotion and family history The Dead House is able to chart.

Much of this is down to Magee’s wonderful performance. The actor gradually unfurls his dad character’s tough outer shell to reveal the depth of feeling within.

Paper Plane and The Dead House will screen as part of Irish Shorts 1 at the Cork International Film Festival on Friday, 13 November.