Irish filmmaker Edelle Kenny built her craft in unscripted television, directing and story producing for major U.S. networks including Paramount, Discovery and Viacom during a decade based in New York. She has since returned home and works in the scripted sphere. Her latest short, The Race, which she directed and which was written by Gemma Kane, premiered at Dublin International Film Festival on February 20 and is a darkly comic film that unfolds during a chaotic “living wake,” where a family gather around a dying patriarch, revealing ambition, secrets and the uneasy collision of grief and greed. Here she tells us more about the film and shares her life in culture.
The spark for The Race came from…the brilliant mind of Gemma Kane, my dear friend and writer. She took inspiration from people around her and curated them to create this family.
My favourite part of making The Race was… the rehearsal. We really spent time sharing family experiences, developing the individual characters and drinking lots of tea. It really makes for smooth sailing on shooting day.
The “living wake” structure drew me in… because something I rarely see on screen is the logistics that come with death. Everyone understands the emotions, but what about the unpaid taxes or missing deeds after the person has passed? It is a logistical nightmare. It makes total sense to get everything sorted while the person is still with us.
It was important to widen the broaden the respresentation of North Dublin because…when it is represented in TV and media, it’s often linked with crime drama. There’s a real gap in representation in working class people on our screens, one that represents their systemic struggles and their cultures and quirks.
When casting, I looked for… people who felt like they could hold their space on screen. Like most families in these moments, I wanted the women to be strong and leaders in the family and the men to be subtle but have very memorable lines and I think they all really delivered.
Premiering this film at DIFF is… perfect. I couldn’t think of anywhere else for this film to have its world premiere. A Dublin family in a Dublin cinema.
Working in film here is different to working in film in the US because… the industry is smaller here and immediately your options are bigger. Everyone works very closely, and there are lots of crossovers with different crews. Overall, I think it makes for a kinder and caring environment. Oh, and they do a 10-hour day in Ireland, which I like way better than the never-ending days we had in the US.
Someone I look up to in the world of filmmaking is… Dearbhla Walsh, who is currently my directing mentor. I think it’s obvious that she would be the person. The success of her work speaks for itself, and just getting to pick her brain every month has taught me so much.
The stories I’m drawn to telling next are… about family drama. The next film is called Caged Rabbits. It’s about a mother and daughter and their involvement in a pyramid scheme.
One piece of advice I would give to someone hoping to have a career in filmmaking is… work in film. Even if it’s not the position you want to be in. Take any job in film, learn from it, and then navigate your way to where you want to be. Anything you learn will only benefit you in the long run.
The last thing I saw and loved… Marty Supreme. It’s fun, and the casting was exciting.
The book I keep coming back to is… The Chronology of Water, which has just been made into a film, and I’m very excited about it.
I find inspiration in… People watching.
My favourite film is… Mommy by Xavier Dolan.
My career highlight is… I was very recently Second Unit Director on a studio film with Kate Dolan.
The last book I recommended was… Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, I constantly recommend it.
I never leave the house without… a notepad.
The piece of work I still think about is… A Little Life in the theatre by Ivo Van Hove.
My dream project would be… a TV series.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… don’t let the disparity between your good taste and your first films be the reason you quit.
The art that means the most to me is… Close by Lukas Dhont.
The most challenging thing about being a filmmaker is… never knowing what the path will be.
After I finish a film, I… disassociate.
If I weren’t an artist, I would be… I think a builder. I feel like I have to make things
The magic of art to me is… obsessive. On the days I give up, I ask, ‘Okay, what else will I do?’… and I never come to a conclusion, so I think filmmaking is just obsessive.
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