Éanna Mac Cana is a filmmaker (and Interpol fan) based in Belfast, who’s previous films have been screened as part of film festivals in Spain, India, and The US. Éanna’s most recent short ‘Reminder (Reprise)’ is available to watch below, Éanna spoke to The Jumble Magazine about the film making experience and the personal significance of this film as a reflection on serious illness.
Many of my films are reflective of personal experience or anecdotes I have heard, while others can be quite spontaneous. Many conceptual projects are informed by my mood around the time of making them, to allow for the mindset of that period to play an important role in the film. I make an effort to integrate video and sound clips from previous projects into new ones. I get a bit of a kick out of reinterpreting and remixing old footage for a new purpose or recording scenes in a strange way. Recently, I have been recording a lot of stuff in thermal, I love how it simplifies what could typically be a clustered image into binary form, either hot or cold / dark or light. I have also been making an effort to make use of the masking tool in the edit and experimenting with some unusual sounds I have recorded from my phone.
I would say that two of my biggest influences for filmmaking are probably my parents who are both visual artists (Paddy McCann and Sharon Kelly).
The lock down has been great for my work and for learning new techniques. Though, I have gone a bit mad in the last few months working on a mini-documentary about the history of Belfast City Hospital, which has a very special place in my heart, but I hope to have it finished soon.
‘Reminder (Reprise)’
The idea for this short film came about from looking at some old films I made. Many scenes in this short film were first recorded in 2017, when I had been discharged from hospital following a serious illness. Three years later, I returned to these rooms and re-recorded them. As a result, we see a physical change in my appearance. However, I wanted to ask the viewer, ‘Has the mind been left behind?’. I also represent the outside world as something alien and sinister, which leaves the figure isolated and idle.
You can check out more of Éanna Mac Cana’s work on www.eannamaccana.com and by following Éanna on Instagram .
The Jumble 