Derry Girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson stars in one of the shorts ‘Helpless’
Top stars are set to come to our screens this month in three new NI-made short films.
Produced as part of the Green Lit initiative, a collaboration between BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, the shorts will be available to watch on BBC One NI and BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, November 26 at 10.40pm.
The Green Lit scheme supports emerging talent in writing, production, directing, and acting across Northern Ireland.
READ MORE: Lisburn presenter James Blake to explore online ‘manosphere’ in new documentaryREAD MORE: NI-made series Farm 999 to explore ‘dramatic and unseen’ aspects of farming
The three short films are:
Rewarding
On BBC Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer, Wednesday 26 November, 10.40pm, Rewarding is a new short film produced by Conker Pictures.
It follows co-workers Sinead played by Seána Kerslake (Ballywalter, Blue Lights) and Francis (comedian Vittorio Angelone in his first acting role) as they navigate their first shift together in a private domiciliary care facility in rural mid-Ulster.
New employee Sinead is an unstoppable force of positivity and idealism while long-term carer Francis is an immovable object of cynicism and pragmatism.
Tasked with providing round-the-clock care for adults with learning difficulties and behavioural challenges, their differing approaches are tested to the extreme when one of their clients, Cal, is faced with some bad news on his birthday.
The film’s title is an in-joke amongst support workers, as the response to when they tell people what they do for a living is almost always (a slightly patronising) “that must be challenging… but rewarding”.
Helpless
Following on BBC One NI at 11pm, Helpless is a black comedy thriller made by Belfast-based scripted indie FABEL Productions.
It stars George Robinson (Sex Education, Silo), Saoirse-Monica Jackson ( Derry Girls, This City is Ours), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment, A Very Royal Scandal) and Vanessa Ifediora (Foundation, Derry Girls).
Newly disabled wheelchair-user Cillian (George Robinson) is a hopeless romantic, down-on-his-luck and obsessed with the curious girl next door, Grace (Saoirse-Monica Jackson).
He suspects her shady boyfriend Joe (Éanna Hardwicke) is abusing her, but help is in short supply – even his personal care assistant Fleur (Vanessa Ifediora) has fallen for Joe’s charms.
Desperate to save Grace, Cillian must overcome his fears and confront Joe himself, but behind closed doors the situation is more complex than he ever could have imagined.
Helpless is a contemporary story from Northern Ireland with high stakes, dark comedy, and unexpected characters, written by multi-award-winning writers Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney (My Left Nut).
Cillian’s situation is inspired by Michael’s real-life experience as a newly disabled wheelchair user. Helpless explores prejudice, the lengths people will go to for love, and how things are not always as they seem. It is executive produced for FABEL Productions by Keith Martin, produced by Christopher Myers and directed by Oisín Kearney.
Mourning Glory
Airing on BBC One NI at 11.20pm, Mourning Glory is written and created by Shane McNaughton and is a Fíbín Films NI production starring Nigel O’Neill (Bad Day For The Cut, Say Nothing) and Amy Huberman (Flora and Son, Derry Girls).
It follows Dermot (Nigel O’Neill), a recent widower who seeks out the company of grieving strangers at random funerals, in an attempt to numb his own pain.
Encouraged by his neighbour Jimmy, played by Lalor Roddy (That They May Face The Rising Sun, Say Nothing), Dermot’s new past time of gate-crashing of every wake across rural county Antrim doesn’t go unnoticed.
The new funeral director (Amy Huberman) and her young son, played by Lennox Loughran (Say Nothing, Jimmy Won’t be at Work Today), catch him in the act but then make him an offer he surely can’t refuse…
This warm-hearted comedy breathes life into death through the world of wakes and funerals in the rural Glens of Northern Ireland. It is executive produced by Darach Ó Tuairisg, Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile and Bernie Hoban, produced by Méabh Nic Alastair and directed by John Carlin.
The Green Lit initiative was launched in December 2024, inviting proposals from independent production companies. Six projects were initially selected for funded development, with three progressing to full production.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What’s On newsletter.
#shorts #featuring #top #stars #coming #screens #month
