PERSONAL  DEVELOPMENT  -­‐  Press  Pack    

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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  PRODUCTION DETAILS: Production Company: Hot Drop Films Film Title: Personal Development Director: Tom Sullivan Writer: Muirinn Lane Kelly Producer: Alan Keane Cast: David Murray, Kathleen Bhreathnach, Una Kavanagh, Eva Jane Gaffney, Dylan Tighe Director of Photography: Tim Fleming Production Designer: Padraig O’Neill Editor: Daniel Keane Composer: Michael Fleming Story based on: Original Screenplay Genre: Family Drama Country of Origin: Ireland Locations: Galway City & Oranmore, Co.Galway, Ireland Length: 13 minutes Shoot Format: HD (RED One) Sound: Dolby 5.1 B/W Color: Color Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Subtitles: No Distributor: Wildcard Distribution Festivals Selected for: Galway Film Fleadh 2014 (Irish Premiere) Cork Film Festival 2014 Tribeca International Film Festival 2015 (World Premiere) IndieLisbon Festival 2015 Brussels International Short Film Festival 2015

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Synopsis: Fintan isn’t coping with his recent divorce all that well. His relationship with his Ex, Ciara, is ‘functional’ at best and the acrimony and the pain of the family breakup means he’s grown distant from his two daughters. Everyone, it would seem, is moving on except Fintan. While Ciara takes a romantic mini-break with her new love, Fintan’s taking the kids for the long weekend. Moments after their arrival he’s horrified to discover that his elder daughter, Niamh (17), is spending the weekend with her new boyfriend. In fact he’s no need to worry as she’s ‘on the pill’. Fintan is left alone with his youngest child, Orla (13). Despite the pair once being so close, Orla now seems to have little interest in relating to her father, who can’t help keep putting his foot in it. However opportunity for redemption presents itself to Fintan with the arrival of some unexpected news. Fintan grasps this problem as a means of being ‘useful’, but his brash, well-intentioned approach only further serves to make things worse. When another piece of information about his daughter is later revealed, Fintan feels suitably terrible. In a last ditch attempt to make amends Fintan bares his soul in a heartfelt apology. Just as the weekend is coming to an end he accepts an olive branch in the form of the paid watching a film together. Over the course of the film it becomes apparent that old wounds have begun to heal between them. Brief Synopsis: The recently divorced Fintan’s already fragile relationship with his daughter is put to the test with the arrival of some unexpected news.

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Tom Sullivan - b. 1972 Director’s Biography Tom lives in Dublin with his partner and infant son. He has worked as an actor in Film and Television for thirteen years, (see Tomás O’Suilleabháin on imdb.com for credits list) before deciding to try his luck behind the camera. He is originally from Dublin but attended college in the west of Ireland. Tom directed his first short film, Asal, in 2011. It went on to win best short at Ireland’s premiere film festival. He then went on to direct his first TV half hour for Irish broadcaster TG4. Tom’s second short film, Mechanic Premiered at

PERSONAL  DEVELOPMENT  -­‐  Press  Pack    

the Galway Film Fleadh in 2013 and won the Tiernan McBride award for Best Short Drama. It has screened at all the major Irish festivals and was chosen to open The Cork Film festival along with Nebraska the Alexander Payne film. Tom has recently been nominated for a Zebbie, a Writer’s Guild award for Mechanic in 2014. Mechanic has recently been nominated for best in show and best script at the Fastnet Film Festival in West Cork. It has since been invited to over twenty film festivals internationally. His latest short film, Personal Development premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh and has recently been selected for Tribeca Film Festival in New York. \ Please  contact  the  Producer  Alan  Keane  should  you  require  any  further  information.    Email:  alanvkeane@gmail.com  Tel:  +  353  86  197  2270