In The Cards is a new short romantic comedy celebrating queerness, disability and working class lives, written, directed by and starring Dubliner Leah Moore, which premieres at this year's Galway Film Fleadh - Leah introduces In The Cards below.
In The Cards is a film that I made, ultimately, as a celebration of queer joy.
It's a romantic comedy about two best friends parting ways. Or does the universe have other plans? As the friends grapple with their futures, who knows what the cards have in store?
There are so many lesbian/queer films and TV shows that centre around coming out or forbidden love. But even when stories have positive queer representation, a lot of productions eventually kill off their queer characters - the "Bury Your Gays" trope.
I wanted to make something that protested these usual stereotypes in queer cinema. To make a piece where we just get to celebrate love and not have a conversation about what that love looks like. That idea shouldn’t be so radical.
As a queer, autistic, working class artist, In The Cards has themes that are very close to my heart. This is a story with queer people, disabled people, working class people. Not a story about or concerning those groups. I think this is where real inclusion happens and that’s what I hope I’ve achieved by making this piece.
My experience growing up in Coolock is that most of the people are filled with love and acceptance. Some of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life live within a 5km radius from me.
The work I make is rooted in joy and fun and that’s no different to how I run my sets with my company Imagine All Productions. I love to work with people who I love!
We had an amazing crew, headed by our Director of Photography, Garreth Caulfield. The piece was directed by myself along with my long-time collaborator Douglas Reddan, a queer dance artist, director and filmmaker who is my eyes anytime I’m in front of the camera. We work so well together and understand each other’s processes so beautifully.
The character Ronan is played by Mark Smith, known for his award-winning autobiographical theatre production, Making A Mark which places the voice and lived experience of an artist with an intellectual disability front and centre.
Mark and I worked together for the first time when Making A Mark was in Dublin Fringe and we became fast friends. We always have an amazing time working together. He knows how to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Eimear Morrissey who plays Sandra the Fortune Teller is familiar from such projects as Damo and Ivor and Disney's Disenchanted, among others. Eimear is an old friend of mine and this was the perfect opportunity for us to work together. Eimear’s comic timing is impeccable.
Shauna Higgins who plays Naoise can be seen in Derry Girls, Deadly Cuts, Kin and other projects. She is a breath of fresh air and an amazing talent. Shauna came into my mind for casting really early on and I was thrilled when she said yes.
I wanted to make a film that felt representative of the world that I live in and the area that I’m from. Coolock and other working-class areas are usually not represented in the most positive light on screen. We can all think of examples of gloomy crime and drug fueled productions that tar these areas with the same brush.
My experience growing up in Coolock is that most of the people are filled with love and acceptance. Some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life live within a 5km radius from me. Disability and sexual orientation are qualities that are celebrated within our community. This often gets ignored when an area is going through other social and systemic issues but when one of us succeeds, we all succeed.
It means a lot to be part of the Galway Film Fleadh, an amazing festival that has been supporting Irish film for 35 years. To have the film premiere there is a gift – and I’m excited to see the journey that In The Cards embarks on from there. A very limited number of people has seen the film so far but the feedback has been extraordinarily positive.
This is a "feel good" film, celebrating the extraordinary within ordinary day-to-day life, and the goal is to a smile on people’s faces while the credits are rolling.
In The Cards screens at the Galway Film Fleadh on Friday 14th July, as part of the New Shorts programme - find out more here.
