Now Funding: Stephen Gaffney’s Bully

Currently crowd-funding on FundIt is Bully, a new Irish independent feature from writer/director Stephen Gaffney.

The film follows Karl, a sixth year student preparing to sit his Leaving Cert exams, who becomes the target of a gang of bullies. With no support from his family and no friends to turn to, Karl falls victim to the psychological manipulation of a school teacher and soon turns to social media as a form of escapism where he develops an online friendship with a woman.

The principal cast of Bully includes Ciaran MacCabe (Two Hearts), Kieran O’Reilly (Love/Hate), James Ward (Love/Hate), Chelsea O’Connor (Jimmy’s Hall), and Aislinn Ni Uallachain (Impetuous). They are supported by Dean Sherlock, George Bracebridge, Justine O’Rourke, Aaron Blake, Saoirse Doyle, Sandra Hayden Mason, Olivia Fahy, and Richard Mason.

Gaffney’s short The Deep Web, which he named his production company after, screened last year at the Light House Cinema and as part of the Underground Cinema short film series. Bully marks his feature directorial début. Gaffney is also producing the film, with Erica Keegan co-producer and assistant director.

With principal photography wrapped the film is looking to raise €4,000 to cover the completion of one scene which is imperative to the story, post-production costs (including sound design and colour grading), festival submissions, and marketing.

For more information on the film check out the FundIt campaign, the film’s Facebook page, and the Facebook page for Deep Web Films.