{"id":446120,"date":"2026-05-13T04:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T04:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/446120\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T04:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T04:32:13","slug":"wexford-actor-returns-home-to-film-emotional-countryside-drama-in-ballindaggin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/446120\/","title":{"rendered":"Wexford actor returns home to film emotional countryside drama in Ballindaggin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Irish actor and filmmaker Ben Michael Kavanagh, a proud Wexford native, is returning to his roots to film the project he co-wrote with German actress and writer Hannah Rostek. The film is being produced by Yellow Wall Pictures and directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Antonio Keane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Titled Resemblance, the project is set to be a visually rich, landscape-driven short film set in the late 1980s, capturing the essence of life in the Wexford countryside.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The story follows Sam, a young German woman who travels to Ireland in search of her birth mother, guided only by a drawing and a letter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Her journey brings her to Ballindaggin, where she meets Ois\u00edn, a local man who has lived a life marked by isolation and loneliness. Together, they embark on a transformative journey that will leave a lasting impact on both of their lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The film promises to be a heartfelt and visually compelling tribute to identity, connection and the enduring spirit of rural Ireland.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Actress and writer Hannah Rostek.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5cb8684f-b330-4d07-b229-7ba50fb86ec7.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Actress and writer Hannah Rostek.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The production  boasts a highly accomplished creative team from Wexford and beyond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Director Michael Antonio Keane\u2019s latest film Into the Silence, is currently enjoying a successful run on the international festival circuit. Producing the film is Caitr\u00edona Boyd, founder of Yellow Wall Pictures, who also works with the broadcasting team at the Houses of the Oireachtas and has produced numerous award-winning projects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Cinematography will be led by Wexford native Michael Benson, an award-winning director of photography with extensive experience both in Ireland and internationally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">In front of the camera, Hannah Rostek will take on the role of Sam, bringing with her training from the Film Academy Vienna and the Gaiety School of Acting. Ben Michael Kavanagh will portray Ois\u00edn, having honed his craft at both the Gaiety School of Acting and Bow Street Academy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Kavanagh continues to build momentum in his career and is also set to appear in the upcoming feature film The Space We Share, which will begin filming in Belfast in October 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">His passion for performance began at a young age with the Rathnure Panto Society, where he developed his love for the stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Businesses and supporters interested in contributing to the project can connect with the team via social media or through GoFundMe by searching \u2018Resemblance \u2013 Short Film.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Irish actor and filmmaker Ben Michael Kavanagh, a proud Wexford native, is returning to his roots to film&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[93,61,60,270,15968,180576],"class_list":["post-446120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-movies","tag-rachel-cahill","tag-wexford-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}