the christening
Short Film
13 minutes
To secure a future without a child, AILBHE must make a very adult decision. For AILBHE, having a secret abortion in London is an act of self-expression and self-censorship rolled into one. AILBHE feels part of a new web savvy generation. She reckons she can organise it all. But finding her way through London is harder than she thinks.
THE CHRISTENING was made when abortion in Ireland was still illegal and thousands of Irish women embarked on secret journeys every year. In 2010, the impact of these journeys was barely discussed. Despite female emancipation, Irish society remained deeply ambivalent on the subject.
The film enjoyed a second life in the run-up to the referendum on the 8th Amendment as part of the Artists’ Campaign To Repeal the Eighth .
Written and directed by Oonagh Kearney.
Produced by Rachel Lysaght for Underground Films, 2010.
Funded by the Irish Film Board Signatures Short Film Scheme.
Please see IMDB for full cast and crew.
NOMINATED
Best Drama, Fastnet Film Festival, Cork, 2011