A DOCUMENTARY exploring chronic illnesses in young people will premiere at the Uilinn West Cork Arts Centre this weekend.

Pain Portraits director Étáin Nash explores the lives of seven young people aged 11 to 29 who are living with arthritis and other chronic illnesses.

They include Becky, a 29-year-old ballet dancer on the brink of her final performances; Evie, a 16-year-old theatre enthusiast with big dreams of being an actor, and Abbie, an 11-year-old girl who loves baking, sports and spending time with her family.

The film touches on the physical, emotional and social side of living with the various conditions the contributors have, from not being believed by teachers to having to leave lifelong passions behind.

Étáin Nash is from Schull and is now based in Dublin.

She works across short film, documentary, and music video, creating intimate, experimental, character-driven work that explores emotion, identity and lived experience.

Her short film Sisters screened at festivals in Ireland and internationally, earning a nomination for an Emerging Director Award in 2022.

In 2025 she was a finalist for the Puttnam Script Award and pitched at Fastnet Film Festival.

Alongside her creative work, she has built an extensive career in the film and television industry, working in production management, coordination and extras casting roles across large-scale projects such as Bad Sisters, Small Things Like These and Bodkin.

She also has a background in photography, working across portrait, product and creative projects.

Her interest in portraiture has become central to her current work, particularly for Pain Portraits.

Speaking on her latest documentary, the director said: ‘Pain Portraits is deeply personal to me. I have lived with chronic pain since childhood due to a type of Arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Due to a lack of understanding, both socially and within the healthcare system, I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 21, over a decade after my symptoms started.

‘Arthritis, pain and chronic illness in young people is extremely misunderstood and dismissed and I wanted to share different perspectives of young people through an artistic and human-centered lens.’

Pain Portraits will premiere at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen on Saturday May 30th at 4pm, followed by a Q & A with the director.