Synopsis: Carmel is a lonely sheep farmer in her 70's & a survivor of a Mothers and Baby's Home. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tanaka, a young girl living in Direct Provision (an asylum seeker refuge) who wants to learn how to be a farmer.

Mo (or 'Maureen') O'Connell

Bio:

Mo (or 'Maureen') O'Connell is an actor & filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland. She is a graduate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), London, with a BA in Acting & of Ballyfermot Film School, Dublin with a Diploma in Film Production. She has acted in several theatre productions including, "Juno & the Paycock" at the Bristol Old Vic and the Liverpool Playhouse, alongside Des McAleer & Niamh Cusack and recently "Abbey Calls" for Dublin's Abbey Theatre and on TV, for BBC1's "Father Brown" as 'Oonagh Crawford' alongside Mark Williams and James Fleet, to name but a few. She has made several no-budget award-winning short films namely, "Proclaim!", "GIRLS", "Meitherhood", "Missed..." & "Thespish". And she has also made a multi-award-winning no-budget slacker comedy feature film called, "SPA Weekend". Screen Ireland commissioned Mo to direct a short film called, "HUM" written by Ivan Cush. It is still on it's festival journey. It won the Audience Choice Award at the Emerging Lens Film Festival in Canada in May 2021. It was also nominated by Makers & Shakers Awards in the UK for “Outstanding Creative Use of a Location” at BAFTA Picadilly, London. She also received funding for co-writing a feature length version of her short film, "GIRLS" with wonderful co-writer, Gemma Creagh via Screen Ireland's Spotlight Scheme. Mo recently won a commission from the Kildare Film Fund to produce Katie McNeice's short film, "Lambing" & wrapped production as of October 22nd 2021. Lambing is about a young rural couple who give birth to an intersex baby and the gender-based issues this throws up for them. Mo also won the Kerry County Council Film Commission to direct short film, "HAVEN", co-written by Ivan Cush & Rehan Ali & recently wrapped production as of November 5th 2021. Haven is about an unlikely friendship between Carmel, a 60 year old sheepfarmer and Mother's & Baby's Home Survivor and Tanaka, a young girl living in Direct Provision. Mo is in post-production on a lockdown film called, “Lived Loved Laughed Left” & has another short Zoom lockdown film called, “EVE” that has recently been selected for Achill Island Film Festival. She is also in post-production on exciting short film “Bruise”, an abstract film about domestic violence through dance and movement, written by Chris Watt and produced by Emer & Brian Durcan. She is also in post-production for South Dublin County Council funded short, “Mask” written by Margaret Kane-Rowe that Mo co-produced and starred in. Mo recently performed as the lead in two plays at the Scene and Heard Festival last February: Meeting of Minds by Olivia Morahan and The Devil Himself by Paul Nugent. She is currently being mentored by Emma Norton of Element Pictures. Mo is the Festival Director of Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. It had a very successful 2nd year in January 2022.

Statement:

Haven is a simple story about friendship and loss while going after the Irish State and Catholic Church for their horrendous crimes against humanity.