A Cork-made short film about the rave scene in 1993 has recently won the Best Student Film award at Dublin’s Underground Cinema Film Festival, with Clonakilty-born Fiachra Cotter Ó Cúlacháin playing a major part in the development of the film.

Into the Silence premiered during the summer and is currently doing ‘remarkably well’ across film festivals in Ireland and the UK, says director and writer Michael Antonio Keane. The West Cork links come courtesy of Fiachra, who is at the helm as director of photography for the project. Covering the events of New Year’s Eve 1993 and the aftermath, the short film is a trip back in time inspired by the legendary Sir Henry’s in Cork city, with an original piano house soundtrack. 

The 22-year-old Cobh director told how the rave scenes recreate the interior of the club, which incidentally was demolished the year he was born. 

Fiachra Cotter Ó Cúlacháin (in green) with some of the cast and crew on the final day of filming.

‘I’m very lucky that the project has been fortunate to build strong momentum on the festival circuit.’

‘We first premiered at the historic Windmill Lane Studio, and have since screened at Waterford International Film Festival, Mallow Arts Festival, Galway Film Fleadh, IndieCork Film Festival, as well as internationally’.

The film is as yet unreleased as it continues on the festival circuit, but a trailer is available on YouTube. The tunes, of course, live on.