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WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
WHAT AM I DOING HERE? (2009) 60mins
Director, Producer, Animation - Trish McAdam
An honest and uplifting portrayal of struggle, success and failure.
A visually offbeat documentary portrait of cult actor, writer and political activist, Donal O'Kelly, best known for his one man show, Catalpa, which won a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Critic's Prize at the Melbourne International Festival in 1997 and then played across the world to rave reviews. The documentary follows him ten years later during what turns into a failed tour of his new play Vive La. The play receives dreadful reviews and, with little money for publicity, poor audiences. As he heads back home, somewhat bruised, he cleverly turns his attention to the camera instead and reflects, with humour, on his life's journey and mulls over the purpose of art in society. It is this real life performance that draws in the film's audience. Months later we return to find him in better mood as he ventures out with a second play, this time with dates in Paris, Rome and Warsaw and Donal dreams still very much alive. Funded by the Arts Council and Film Base, screened in the Irish Film Institute and Galway Film Fleadh.
What Am I doing Here? was as screened in The Irish Film Institute - Dublin, Galway - Film Fleadh, Irish Arts Centres - The Glens, Mermaid, Riverbank, Paris - The Irish Cultural Centre and is now available online.
Director, Producer, Animation - Trish McAdam
An honest and uplifting portrayal of struggle, success and failure.
A visually offbeat documentary portrait of cult actor, writer and political activist, Donal O'Kelly, best known for his one man show, Catalpa, which won a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Critic's Prize at the Melbourne International Festival in 1997 and then played across the world to rave reviews. The documentary follows him ten years later during what turns into a failed tour of his new play Vive La. The play receives dreadful reviews and, with little money for publicity, poor audiences. As he heads back home, somewhat bruised, he cleverly turns his attention to the camera instead and reflects, with humour, on his life's journey and mulls over the purpose of art in society. It is this real life performance that draws in the film's audience. Months later we return to find him in better mood as he ventures out with a second play, this time with dates in Paris, Rome and Warsaw and Donal dreams still very much alive. Funded by the Arts Council and Film Base, screened in the Irish Film Institute and Galway Film Fleadh.
What Am I doing Here? was as screened in The Irish Film Institute - Dublin, Galway - Film Fleadh, Irish Arts Centres - The Glens, Mermaid, Riverbank, Paris - The Irish Cultural Centre and is now available online.
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