The Irish language horror film Fréwaka will have its world premiere at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland next month.
The film was written and directed by Aislinn Clarke and features an all-female cast including Clare Monnelly (Doineann, Moone Boy), Bríd Ní Neachtain (The Banshees of Inisherin, Róise & Frank), and Ukrainian actress Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya (F20).
Fréwaka, which will be released in Ireland as Fréamhacha, revolves around care worker Shoo (Monnelly), who is sent to a remote Irish-speaking village to care for an agoraphobic woman (Ní Neachtain) who fears both her neighbours and the Na Sídhe – sinister folkloric entities she believes abducted her decades before.
As they develop a deep connection, Shoo becomes consumed by the old woman's paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past.
Writer/director Clarke said she was "truly honoured" that the film has been included in Locarno's official selection this year.
"Locarno is not only a prestigious festival with an illustrious history, but one that showcases filmmaking at the very front line of new cinema," she said.
Clarke was awarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Gold Fellowship in 2020. Her feature film The Devil's Doorway was the first Irish horror to be directed by an Irish female filmmaker and played at many international horror festivals.
She was also included in Variety's round-up of Ireland’s Rising Stars Behind the Camera earlier this year.
Produced by Dermot Lavery for DoubleBand Films and by Patrick O'Neill for Wildcard, Fréwaka was funded through the Cine4 scheme, supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, TG4, Coimisiún na Meán (formerly the BAI), and Section 48.
Wildcard Distribution will release the film in Irish cinemas in 2025.
The 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from 7 - 17 August 2024.
