TRAVEL SOCKS (Norman Houston Short Film Award) & THE WISE GUY
Friday, February 28 • 7:00 PM • T1
To celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Norman Houston, the former director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in the United States, we present a special screening of TRAVEL SOCKS, by 2025 Norman Houston Short Film Award winners, writers and directors Tess Annan and Joseph Madden, presented in a double bill with THE WISE GUY the award-winning debut feature film by Northern Irish director, Sam O'Mahony.
Guests to the event will be welcomed by Richard Cushnie, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America, and following the screenings there will be a reception at AFI, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America.
Screening generously sponsored by Kate Meenan-Waugh
THE NORMAN HOUSTON SHORT FILM AWARD
The Norman Houston Short Film Award is part of The Norman Houston Project, a program initiated by Solas Nua in 2022 and dedicated to the memory of Norman Houston. The Norman Houston Short Film Award is an annual honor for the best new short film created by a filmmaker based in or from Northern Ireland, made within the previous two years. The inaugural winner of the Norman Houston Short Film Award, AN IRISH GOODBYE, won Best Live Action Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards® 2023, Best British Short Film at the 76th EE BAFTA Awards 2023, and Best Live Action Short Film at the 20th Irish Film and Television Awards 2023. The 2023 NHA winner, HOMEBIRD, also won the Best Debut Short Fiction Award at the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh. Last year's winner, THE SILENT PEOPLE, also won Best Short Film at the 2024 Spotlight Short Film Awards and Best Screenplay at the 2023 Underground Cinema Awards.
TRAVEL SOCKS
The fourth recipient of the Norman Houston Short Film Award, TRAVEL SOCKS is a portrayal of the courage, determination and resilience of one spirited young woman, Orla (“Socks”), who is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy during the early days of COVID. As the world goes into lockdown, Orla sets out alone on a journey to England to access the healthcare she needs, overcoming numerous obstacles in her path — whilst attempting to stay buoyant and keep the truth from her overbearing yet loving family.
DIR/SCR Tess Annan, Joseph Madden; PROD Charlotte Grace Brownlee, Joseph Madden. Ireland, 2024, color, 19 min. NOT RATED
AWARDS: Jury Award for Best Film at 2024 Oxford Shorts
When his parents separate, Francis’ 11-year-old world explodes. Immersing himself in violent gangster movies, Francis is determined to escape reality, so when it is revealed that a man living in the nearby woods is an exiled mobster, Francis is thrilled. Bonding over their family traumas (and a love of profanity), the two develop a strange friendship. Torn between his savior and his reality, Francis is forced to pick up the pieces of his old life and begin building a new, uncertain future.
DIR/SCR Sam O'Mahony; PROD Leon Coole. UK, 2024, color, 87 min. NOT RATED
AWARDS: Audience Award at the 2024 Belfast Film Festival
🎟 For further information regarding bookings:
Please call 301-495-6720 between M-F, 9 AM - 5:30 PM or email silverinfo@AFI.com
Tess Annan (TRAVEL SOCKS director) is a first time filmmaker. Her friend's experience inspired her to co-write the story of TRAVEL SOCKS and co-directing it with Joe has been a seminal moment for her. Tess, also a small business owner, has directed photo shoots and campaign commercials for her clothing brand Welligogs. A graduate from Drama Centre, you will also see her in the role of Dr Becky.
Joe P. Madden (TRAVEL SOCKS director) is a writer and director from Northern Ireland, based in London. For the past decade he has gained experience as both an assistant and an associate producer on some of the most distinguished film-makers on high profile, high budget productions – including Matthew Vaughn, Stephen Daldry and Charlotte Brandstrom. As a writer and director, Joe has a slate of award-winning short films (including ‘Sole’ and ‘Boat Boy’), proof of concept ‘The Man Who Finds Things’, commercials and music videos under his production company, Granite Pictures. A passionate teller of Irish stories, Joe currently also has two features in development.
Sam O'Mahony (THE WISE GUY director) is a Belfast-based writer and director. His debut feature, The Wise Guy, produced by Out of Orbit and Northern Ireland Screen, had it’s world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2024. Sam was also nominated for the festival’s prestigious Bingham Ray New Talent award. He has written and directed a number of award-winning films and music videos, alongside his experience directing commercials and documentaries. He has also directed live multi-cam theatre broadcasts, including Rough Girls by Tara Lynne O’Neill for the Lyric Belfast/BBC Arts.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
