Interview with Portia A. Buckley on Clodagh

Director and co-writer Portia A. Buckley (joined by Michael Lindley) has blessed us with the wonderfully brooding and dark Irish drama Clodagh. In it we follow the titular character Clodagh, played by the young and talented dancer Katelyn Rose Downey, who gets discovered as particularly talented in the Irish Sean Nós dance by the lonely and quiet priest's housekeeper Mrs. Kelly (played by Bríd Ní Neachtain).
Masterfully crafted in every way from cinematography, lighting and editing to sound and music (shout out to Mr. Hickey played by Jim Kitson) the film quickly became established as one of the best of the year in the live action short category. The writing of Clodagh is superb as it creates a moral dilemma for the steadfast Mrs. Kelly that can be felt not only in the script but along with every step of the dance Clodagh performs. After its world premiere this year at Flickerfest in Australia almost to date a year ago it has gone on to play many big festivals throughout 2024, and of course picked up a couple trophies and recognitions along the way - not the least of which the shortlist mention for this years’ Academy Awards.
Check out our full interview below where Pedro and Portia discuss shooting on film with Jomo Fray, casting the ultra-talented Katelyn Rose Downey Jr and the logistics to filming the dance scene from sound design to the choreography provided by Katelyn and her mother.
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