‘Home isn’t defined by postcode or status, but by the people who shape us’

Independent.ie - 15/04
A teenager from Finglas, who was recently named Young Filmmaker of the Year for her film Abhaile, has said she is “relishing” the win.

Emma Whelan (18) was presented with the title at the annual Fresh Film Festival last week, for the film she wrote, directed, and starred in.

The story centres on the character of Aimee, a working-class teen navigating friendship and identity across social and class divides.

Judges at the festival praised the film for its “emotional honesty”.

Emma said the message of the script is that “home is not defined by a postcode or status, but by the people who shape us”.

“I think growing up in Finglas, I knew there was a reputation around the city, but I suppose I didn’t realise how big of a deal it was to people who weren’t from my side of the city,” she said.

“The more I interacted with others as I’ve grown up, the more I realised the stigma around it. It got to a point where the banter or jokes became a very tiring rhetoric.

“At that time, jokes made about where I come fro...
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