Atlantic Film Alliance has released the quad poster for their new documentary In A House That Ceased To Be, which opens in Irish cinemas on March 13th. This powerful independent documentary comes from Ciarín Scott, director of Waiting for the Light and Michael Scott: A Changing Man.
The subject is Irish humanitarian and children’s rights activist Christina Noble, whose unwavering commitment and selfless efforts have seen her change the lives of countless children and families for the better since 1989. Her drive stems from a childhood in Ireland fraught with poverty, loss and institutional abuse. However, despite achieving so much in the face of adversity and the success of her global children’s foundation, Christina remains scarred by the memory of the three children she was unable to save, namely her own brother and two sisters, from whom she was separated at a very young age. Hundreds of thousands have benefitted as a result of her courage, daring and steadfast dedication to protecting the vulnerable from the evils of the world, but is it possible for Christina to put her own family back together after being separated for fifty-three years?
In A House That Ceased To Be offers a glimpse into Christina’s personal life, her infectious love of children, the hardships of the world she chooses to work in on a daily basis, and also gives an unflinching portrayal of the pain and sense of betrayal she cannot shake for the country in which she and her siblings were born, raised and ultimately torn apart. A mesmerising, powerful meditation on the nature of good and evil, it celebrates the triumph of the human spirit but also depicts the tragedy and sacrifice that are too often ignored in mainstream media, and presents an opportunity to witness the long-term effect of a traumatic childhood on a life, and a family.
In A House That Ceased To Be was co-produced by Paul Duane (Barbaric Genius, Very Extremely Dangerous, Natan) and Rex Bloomstein (This Prison Where I Live, Kz), with the support of the Irish Film Board and RTÉ. Filming took place over a five year period in Ireland, Vietnam, Mongolia, Dubai, the USA and the UK, with Steve O’Reilly (The Summit, Waiting For The Light) serving as director of photography, and Tony Cranstoun A.C.E. (Amber, Death of a Superhero, Perrier’s Bounty) as editor.
It had its World Premiere at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Dublinlast September, as part of the Stranger Than Fiction documentary festival, where it won the audience award. Our own Jason Coyle awarded the film the title ‘you need to see this in 2015’ during our end of year post, called it “an absolutely essential and very important piece of work”.