UCC film graduate in contention for Oscar nomination

The 93rd Oscars is set to take place this April, and a UCC graduate is in with a shot at getting a nomination

Shaun O'Connor on the set of 'A White Horse'.

A short film by a UCC graduate is in contention for an Oscar nomination, after securing a place on the Academy Awards 2021 longlist.

Kerry writer and director Shaun O’Connor’s A White Horse was filmed in Cork city and county. The story, which takes place in the 1970s, explores how mental hospitals were once used as catch-alls for people considered "troublesome" or "abnormal". 

Mr O'Connor, a 2006 UCC graduate of MA in Film Studies, was inspired to explore this subject after discovering that gay conversion therapy was widespread in the British Isles in the 1960s and ’70s.

The director said his time in UCC had a formative impact on his successful career: “My time at UCC was pivotal in my filmmaking career. 

"Doing the MA in Film Studies there introduced me to so much film history and gave me new ways to interpret and appreciate the medium. It was a formative experience. And the college, course and lecturers have all been incredibly supportive of my work in the years since."

Among the accolades garnered to date, A White Horse won Best Irish Short at the Foyle Film Festival in November 2019 – recognition that has led to a coveted place on the longlist for the 2021 Oscars.

'A White Horse' has won Best Irish Short Film at @FoyleFilm and is now officially in consideration for next year's Oscars. We're over the moon and can scarcely believe it. A HUGE thank you to @ek2471 + everyone at the festival for making us feel at home in beautiful Derry! 👏😊🎥 pic.twitter.com/GhutzfxHFt

— Shaun O Connor (@shaunoconnor1) November 25, 2019

“At Irish festival screenings, we inevitably had people approach us afterwards to tell us how they related to the film, either in terms of their own past experiences or that of family members. 

"To have the film speak to people like that, and also do so well on the international stage, has been incredibly gratifying,” he said.

“The team and I behind A White Horse are thrilled with the success of the film. Even though it's an Irish story, it's been amazing to see how much audiences around the world have responded to it,” Mr O'Connor said.

Among the accolades garnered to date, ‘A White Horse’ won Best Irish Short at the Foyle Film Festival in November 2019 – recognition that has led to a coveted place on the longlist for the 2021 Oscars. File picture

Dan O’Connell, head of the Department of Film and Screen Media congratulated Mr O'Connor on his accolade.

“We couldn’t be happier for Shaun. Though he finished his studies with us many years ago, he is still a familiar face on campus both as a practitioner who shares his expertise through masterclasses and as a keen attendee at our many conferences and workshops. 

"He has always been a great ambassador for the Department of Film and Screen Media.” 

The short film was made with the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland ARRI Take Award and stars Cora Fenton, who viewers may recognise from The Young Offenders, and newcomer Amber Deasy.

This year, the Oscars will celebrate 93 years of the academy awards, and the shortlist for nominations will be announced on February 9.