As the tensions and frustrations of life in a community house start to close in on him, a young man with Down Syndrome realises he may have to cross a line to end a nightly disturbance.

Directed by: Aisling Byrne

Written by: Aisling Byrne

Produced by: Killian Coyle

Cinematography: Kilian Waters

Editing: Dan Keane

Production Design: Jenny Owens

Costume Design: Niamh Hussey

Make-Up: Bairbre Ni Bhroin

Sound: Saoirse Connolly, Edmond Moriarty

Original Score: Stephen Rennicks

Cast: Mark Smith, Jackie O'Hagan, Lauren Larkin, Daniel Ryan, Simon Delaney, Clare Monnelly, Brian Busteed, Ger Kelly

Original Title: HEADSPACE

Film Production Country: Ireland

Website: https://www.runofthemill.ie/projects/headspace/

Statement of the Director/s
HEADSPACE is a piece that seeks to place the lived experience of a character with an intellectual disability front and centre of the narrative.
The film intends to amplify a narrative that often remains unseen and unheard; and offer a character study that defies the tendency for reductive, one-dimensional portrayals of people with intellectual disabilities that can be dominant in cultural representation. As the writer and director of the piece, I wanted to open up the doors to the ‘group home in the community’ for people with intellectual disabilities and ask us to consider the complexity of life within its walls. Furthermore, I wanted to create rich and authentic characters for learning disabled talent, and build upon my longstanding collaborations with actors with intellectual disabilities to create a film where authentic, excellent performances to represent this world would be facilitated.
I have spent the past 10 years developing a collaborative relationship with performers and talent with intellectual disabilities and working within these complex and at times, mind-boggling systems that support them. The dramatic tension between society’s ‘duty of care’ to those perceived as vulnerable and the basic human desire for autonomy is something that I have always been artistically drawn to exploring and amplifying.
HEADSPACE offers an authentic slice of life drama that doesn’t shy away from the challenges facing the characters, but also illuminates the gentle comedy that can often emerge in absurd or somewhat chaotic circumstances.
HEADSPACE is my narrative short debut, and what I hope to be the first of a future body of work that builds on my commitment to developing methodologies for working inclusively in film. I wrote the piece for my long-time collaborator Mark Smith (Tony), whose insight and consultation was invaluable to the development of the work. Mark’s generosity with his own lived experience heavily informs HEADSPACE, and every situation that Tony finds himself in, is in fact authentically informed/ inspired by lived experience that Mark has shared with me across the years; an enormous privilege that I hope to have honoured with this film.
As filmmakers, we approached the creation of this work with a total openness to allowing our leading learning disabled ensemble cast bring their own insights and creativity to the work – towards achieving an authentic representation, naturalistic delivery and excellence in performance, and ultimately to learn from them how best to create an environment of accessibility and inclusion across the filmmaking process. We hope you enjoy the result.

Biography of the Director/s
Aisling Byrne is an award-winning theatre director, screenwriter and filmmaker. HEADSPACE, her narrative short debut, premiered at Cork International Film Festival, winning the Oscar Qualifying Grand Prix Best Short and securing candidacy for the European Film Awards 2024. She was one of 12 emerging female directors selected for the prestigious Irish residential talent lab 'X-pollinator CREATOR' in 2023 and was awarded the RTE (Irish National Broadcaster) and Ardán Short Film Commission 2022 for her screenplay for MISREAD which is currently in post-production and due to premiere in 2023.
She is currently resident with Arcade Film, with a feature in development. Aisling is the founder and Artistic Director Run of the Mill, an award winning arts organisation at the forefront of inclusive arts practice in Ireland supporting learning disabled artists and performers.
She is Co-Artistic Director of documentary theatre company Talking Shop Ensemble. She has previously collaborated with Arcade Film to create short poetry films highlighting the work of Eavan Boland OUTSIDE HISTORY (St Patricks Festival/RTE commission, 2021) and QUARANTINE (Culture Night commission, 2020). VULNERABLE, a short poetry film she wrote and directed for The Abbey Theatre’s Dear Ireland 3, was selected for Kerry International Film Festival in 2021. Recent theatre credits include MAKING A MARK (Project Arts Centre, 2019) and SINGING FOR SURVIVAL (Draiocht, 2019). In 2019, she was awarded the Artist in the Community Bursary Award by CREATE, in recognition of her collaborative practice with artists with intellectual disabilities.

Production Company:
Run of the Mill
Killian Coyle
Phone: +353861644424
Website: www.runofthemill.ie