Crossing Salween

Irish short film about a Karen girl's escape over the border

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A young girl is aided by a spirit guide on her journey to freedom.  This dramatic short film was funded entirely by the Irish Film Board, one of the first "Irish" funded films to shoot entirely outside of Ireland.  The filmed debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and was very well received.  The Irish Film Board is now considering funding a full feature film based on the same premise.

The filming took place entirely in Northern Thailand, close to Living Films' base in Chiang Mai.  One of the most impressive parts of the production was the discovery of 8 year old "Mai" in the lead role.   Having never acted before, and being chosen because of her 'raw natural talent' - Mai did an amazing job in front of camera, acting in both action and dramatic scenes and even crying naturally to camera.  Because of her performance, Mai is slated to now also star in the feature film adaptation.

 

Crew & Cast

Director: Brian O'Malley

Executive Producer: Gary Moore

Living Films Producer: Chris Lowenstein

Production Coordinator: Suwimon Sakaew

Director of Photography: Richard Kendrick

Art Director: Taweewong Taweepasas

Companies: Red Rage Films, Living Films

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