In Wake of John Doyle is a striking and unconventional short that plays with form in a way that feels both unsettling and compelling. With an eerie atmosphere and sharp storytelling, it crafts a strange yet fascinating portrait of rural Irish life.

The characters are intriguing, the tone is deeply uncomfortable in the best way, and the film’s clever approach to structure makes it linger in the mind long after the credits roll.

A must see on the festival circuit for 2025.

• Aisha Bolaji (DIFF 2025 Shorts Programmer)

In Wake of John Doyle was one of my favourite short films of 2024's Belfast Film Festival.

A ghost story, shaggy dog tale, and faux-documentary rolled into one, it resists categorisation—recalling such oddities as Werner Herzog’s The Wild Blue Yonder.

Like its enigmatic protagonist—an excommunicated priest who claims to have touched the other side—the film lingers in the liminal space between worlds, its grainy visuals and muted colours making it feel like an unearthed artefact.

• Dean Sterling Jones (Independent Journalist, Forbes 30 under 30)

“The storytelling of ‘In Wake of John Doyle’ is compelling and original. It’s an eery and exciting film. Niall and Tom are a talented creative duo to watch.”

• Portia A. Buckley (IFTA Short Film (Live Action) Winner 2025)

“Strikingly captured on Hi-8 video tape, an uncanny feeling is rendered through murky textures and drained colours, creating an unnerving artefact that sticks in your head.”

• Belfast Film Festival

“The mix of mystery and fear as the story unravels in the documentary format is unforgettable and chilling. Brilliant performances makes this seamless to watch, so fitting to the style and format of the Hi-8 tape. The settings of Northern Ireland are captured in their intensity and calmness too, magnifying such a great narrative. In Wake Of John Doyle showcases incredible talent and creativity!”

• Big Fridge Film Festival