Portia A. Buckley’s OSCAR® shortlisted CLODAGH shares the story of a priest’s housekeeper and her moral battle between religious integrity and bending the rules in the name of passion
British/Irish director Portia A. Buckley’s CLODAGH follows Mrs Kelly, a lonely, devout, and rigorously honest housekeeper (Bríd Ní Neachtain) whose discovery of a young Irish dancer, Clodagh (Katelyn Rose Downey) provokes a moral and spiritual dilemma. This heartfelt film is produced by Michael Lindley of Afternoon Pictures and PG Productions. It was Executive Produced by Academy Award winner Serena Armitage. CLODAGH has been shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars®.
Writer and Director Portia A. Buckley grew up between Ireland and England. Shooting primarily on film, Portia’s work focuses on character-driven narratives centered around marginalized, strong-willed, female protagonists. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU, with an MFA in Writing and Directing Film. This talented director has been sponsored by the BFI and Kodak. Her previous short BIRTHDAY GIRL won the Kodak Best Shot on Film Award at Hollyshorts and many more international accolades.
Writer and Producer Michael Lindley is a co-founder of Afternoon Pictures, a film production company telling stories of modern British and Irish life. As a screenwriter, Michael has written for Universal Pictures, Altitude Film Entertainment, Sky Film and Maven Screen Media.
Executive Producer Serena Armitage is best known for producing the short film STUTTERER, which earned her an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards, an Irish Film and Television Award and a Critic’s Circle Award.
This wonderful film co-stars Aidan O’Hare (Jackie, The Wind that Shakes the Barley) and Jim Kitson. The film’s incredible cinematography was captured by the award-winning Director of Photography, Jomo Fray, who was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his work on ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT.
CLODAGH received its world premiere in January 2024 at Flickerfest, Australia, where it played as part of the opening night ‘Festival Highlights’ programme. CLODAGH screened at Tribeca this summer and played at festivals worldwide throughout 2024, winning the Spalding & Jackson Award at Cleveland International Film Festival and Kodak, Best Shot on Film, at HollyShorts.