SYNOPSIS
WHY NOW?
CHARACTERS
TEAM
LOCATIONS
TIMELINE
WHY CONTRIBUTE?
CONTACT

  A SHORT FILM BY IRIS OCONNOR

WIND HEADING WEST

WHY NOW?


My name is Iris Azul O’Connor. I’m a filmmaker/producer/artist/designer based in New York, raised in San Francisco. I’m currently in my last year at NYU’s Tisch School of the arts. Taking the time to reflect on what I’ve learned on and off campus has led to what will become my senior thesis short film, Wind Heading West.

The past four summers have been spent renovating my grandfathers’ late home in a small rural town about 30 minutes outside of Galway, Ireland called Milltown. I remember arriving with my dad in July, 2023. The house was completely run down - bird nests scattered the thick stone walls, overgrown plants crowding the driveway, the water, heat, and electricity were off leading to a glorified glamping situation. Safe to say, the living conditions were tough, but, day-by-day, working hours on end to paint, clean, build, and restore, I now return to a home that feels as much a part of me as it does my history. 

 

 With each brush stroke and weed pulled, my appreciation for my family’s history and the the broader country of Ireland grew. Learning more about my grandparents’ backgrounds and their eventual immigration to San Francisco, I learned of my grandmother, Iris’s story – a story that would go on to inspire this senior thesis.
Some of the themes touched upon in the script include: 

FAMILY SEPERATION DUE TO RELIGIOUS DIVIDE
INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA
SISTERHOOD
UNITY

 The topic of Irish Unification is as present in media and the news as ever -- alongside topics regarding the education of the Irish Language, and controversy surrounding Irelands’ continued support for Palestine. I am continuously in awe at the amoount of talent produced on such a small island, however unsuprised, considering its’ rich history of tenacity and resilience. 
Rooted in the quiet landscape of rural Ireland, the film attempts to question what is needed for forgiveness and how forgiveness takes shape in unity and introspection. These two sisters have completely different stories, but in the end, they need each other.






SHOOTING JANUARY 13-18

GALWAY, IRELAND