Filming of new movie to start this week

CALLOW Lake, between Swinford and Foxford, is the setting for the film version of Seamus Scanlon's award-winning play The Long Wet Grass. Filming begins on Sunday next, October 2.

Callow Lake is where Seamus went on school holidays every summer from Galway. His Mayo cousins include the Rowleys near Swinford and the Goggins family in Claremorris (Goggins Taxi!). His mother was May McGowan from Renbrack and she went to Callow school (since demolished).

The Mayo-based crew will include Fintan Geraghty (Castlebar), Emer Gannon (Westport) and Pamela Norrington (Toomore). People in Swinford, Kiltimagh, Toomore, Renbrack and Cullneacthain are providing housing, transport, meals and moral support.

The Irish production was staged at the Town Hall in Westport in August 2015, starring Paul O'Brien and Paul Dunning, both from Westport, as well as Galway based actors. The play also played two venues in Galway City.

The Long Wet Grass won awards for Best Actress, Best Director and Best Design in Origin's 1st Irish Theatre Festival in NYC is September 2014.

The short film will feature the lead actors from the stage version of The Long Wet Grass - Anna Nugent (Law and Order: SVU, We Have Always Lived in the Castle) will return to her award-winning role as Woman, while Paul Nugent (The Blacklist, The McGowan Trilogy) will return to the role of Victor McGowan.

The screenplay is by Seamus Scanlon and will be directed by London-based film-maker Justin Davey, who will reunite for the project with director of Photography Lakshika Serasinhe. They most recently made the short film Adulting with Linda Breathnach, which played to acclaim at the 2016 Galway Film Fleadh.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, including producer slots. Backers to date include The Cell Theatre (New York), Artepoetica Press and Victor Productions.