‘The Blow-Ins’ Wraps in West Cork

Victor Feldman (Arthur Egan)

Dublin and Cork film collective, Story Factory, has completed principal photography on its second independent short film, The Blow-Ins.

The film was written for the screen and directed by CJ Scuffins. CJ’s first short, Prodigal Son, makes its film festival debut at the Washington DC International Horror Festival on 16th October.

The Blow-Ins’ cast was led by Dermot Ward (Pure Mule), Mark Shrier (Sex and the City) and Jill Sartini (Prodigal Son). Talented 10 year-old Ellen Phelan played Hailey and ‘Young Lorraine’.

Ellen Phelan (Hailey)

DP Ian D Murphy shot the film on the RED camera. Ian trained at the National Film School in Łódź, one of Europe’s most prestigious film academies. He is Creative Director of Cork production house, AV3, the team behind RTE’s Animal Rescue and The Enforcer.

The film’s genre is supernatural adventure. The story concerns a sea-rescue volunteer who happens upon a ‘ghost boat’ on her first mayday mission. The film’s lead character, Lorraine Egan (Jill Sartini), is a rockabilly from inner-city Dublin. The look of the film meshes her love for urban ’50s/’60s Americana with the beautiful West Cork landscape.

Cork producer Raymond McSweeney raised the bulk of The Blow-Ins’ budget via private investment, and continues to work on funding opportunities for the film’s distribution to the international film festival market.

The film’s rescue scenes were shot on the sea surrounding West Cork. Land locations included the picturesque villages of Courtmacsherry and Kilbrittain. The latter is home to the ultimate West Cork blow-in – the 66ft skeleton of the fin whale that beached in 2007.

The Blow-Ins is currently in post-production and is scheduled for release at the turn of the year.

Director CJ Scuffins