Six semesters is finally a go-go

After two years in the making, Six Semesters, Ireland’s first ever student feature-length film, is ready for the big screen.

The DCU-funded venture, written and directed by recent Communication Studies graduate John McKeown, will be premiered at a special screening at The Sugar Club, Leeson Street on April 21 before taking up a three-day residency at the university in HG23 in the Nursing Building.

The film will begin at 7:30pm on both Tuesday 22 and Thursday 24, while to facilitate the Summer Ball, there will be a matinee screening on Wednesday 23 beginning at 4pm.

A romantic comedy set over three years of a college course, Six Semesters centres on Eddie (Dallan McCormick) and his unique, entrepreneurial part-time job - breaking up couples through a highly successful internet agency. But, his somewhat suspicious view of love and romance takes an interesting turn when Ailbhe (Marie-Claire Hoey), a girl he meets on his first few days at college, begins to feature heavily in his ever-complicated life.

The film’s completion marks the end of a marathon 24 months of non-stop writing, re-writing, organising, funding, auditioning, casting, rehearsing, shooting and editing (as well as re-shooting and re-editing!).

For McKeown particularly, the whole journey from pipe-dream to reality has made him equal parts proud and nervous.

“Editing it and watching it all come together was hugely satisfied but, to be honest, the biggest thrill should come when people unconnected with the film go see it - I hope people engage with the story and characters and that they treat it as a proper movie. It does deserve that. Everybody involved has invested a lot and they should be unbelievably proud with what they have accomplished,” he says.

And what will happen to Six Semesters after its premiere and run in DCU?

McKeown continues; “We are all aware of the film’s limitations - the bottom line is that this is still a student production and we did it as much for experience as anything else. But the acting is good, the story is good, and basically we made a good film so there’s no reason why we won’t be putting it forward for festivals both in Ireland and abroad. Getting as many people seeing Six Semesters as is possible is the ultimate hope, I guess.”