Ciarán Hinds Boards Short Film ‘Three Keenings’ as Exec Producer (EXCLUSIVE)

Ciarán Hinds, the Oscar and BAFTA nominated Northern Irish actor and star of films including “Belfast” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” has joined Oscar-qualifying short film “Three Keenings” as executive producer.

The debut short from Oliver McGoldrick, “Three Keenings” is described as a “darkly lyrical exploration of grief, performance, and the forgotten rituals of mourning.” It premiered in the Orizzonti Short Film competition of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, and officially qualified for the 2026 Academy Awards after winning the Tiernan McBride Award for best short drama at the Galway Film Fleadh.

Hinds joins fellow exec producers Bill & Kumi Martin and IFTA-winning actor Barry Ward (“That They May Face The Rising Sun,” “Bad Sisters”).

Set across the rural funeral circuit of Northern Ireland, the film follows a struggling actor who takes on the role of a professional mourner. As he moves from wake to wake offering grief as a paid performance, the emotional distance he clings to begins to unravel. The film centers on the nearly-forgotten Gaelic-Celtic tradition of “Keening,” the historic practice of hired lament, but reframed through a modern lens.

Led by BAFTA-winning actor Seamus O’Hara (“House of Guinness,” “An Irish Goodbye”), the film also features an ensemble of Northern Irish talent, including Ciarán Hinds’ sister Caitriona Hinds, plus Sean Kearns, Carol Moore, Niall Cusack, and Olivia Nash.

“’Three Keenings’ is a beautifully structured, succinctly told and terrifically shot short film by Oliver McGoldrick about a professional grieving service for funerals in Ireland — wry and very witty, it’s a perfectly balanced mixture of humour and pathos, with a bang-on central performance by Seamus O’Hara.”

Added Ward: “For me, this is a remarkable short film full of warmth, humanity, and a disarming mix of humour and pathos. It’s an impressively assured piece of work, far beyond the filmmakers’ years, and I’m genuinely excited to see what this team creates next.”

Said McGoldrick: “I’m thrilled to have Ciarán and Barry come on board as executive producers. Their presence in the Irish creative landscape is of great importance and having grown up with their work, it is an inspiration to me that they have forged a career working with some of the defining filmmakers of our time.”

“Three Keenings” was developed through the NYU Tisch program in collaboration with a global creative team, including Swiss cinematographer Gianna Badiali, production designer Marianne Auvinet-Gould (UK/France), and producers Natalie Remplakowski (Canada/USA), Chloe Langton (Northern Ireland), and Cade Featherstone (UK). The film has been acquired by Canal+ and is currently featured on Aer Lingus flights.