Film shot in Mayo to premiere at Cork Film Festival

Director Paul Mercier's Prospect House, the film shot at Enniscoe House in Crossmolina in the spring of 2022, will make its premiere this Friday night as part of the Cork Film Festival.

Praised by RTE as a "boisterous romp", Mercier's Prospect House aims to intrigue audiences with its story-within-a-story plot revolving around a group of actors squatting a historic mansion and attempting to stage a play about its past.

Mercier has been involved in film since the 1990s in addition to his work in Irish theatre.

Shot under difficult circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film features a mix of Dublin and Mayo-based cast members, while the crew was primarily Mayo-based talent.

Among the film's cast are several local actors such as Westport's Keith Martin and Ballina's Liam Alex Heffron while Lahardane's Aidan Browne was a crew member. Browne believes Connaught can continue to develop the industry in the region.

Aidan Browne, who is looking to seek nomination for the Social Democrats for next year's local elections stated, "in the last number of years, we've seen several films shot and filmed in Mayo, Wild Mountain Thyme, Banshees of Inisherin, Prospect House, My Sailor, My Love and the upcoming A Cry from the Sea while the RTE TV series Obituary was also recently shot in Bundoran, Donegal.

Between COVID-19 and the SAG-AFTRA strike, it has been a very challenging time in the TV and film production world, however, important productions such as these are helping to establish the north west as an excellent destination to shoot.

Thanks to the Wild Atlantic Way developing an increased consciousness of the dramatic landscapes of the north west, we're seeing a big up tick in interest in the area from domestic and international production companies. With some major hurdles now behind us, there's an opportunity to do even more in the area."

Prospect House will debut at the Everyman Theatre in Cork City at 8.30 pm on Friday, November 17, it has been nominated for a "Best New Irish Feature Award" as part of the Cork film festival.