‘This is very humbling, it’s magical’ – childhood adventures of Irish filmmaker Lochlainn McKenna take him to potential Oscar

Now at 30, he knows those core memories were the beginning of his life as a filmmaker, as his first short film Two For The Road has qualified to be considered for the 2024 Academy Award shortlist after winning “Best Drama Short” at the Oscar-qualifying Galway Film Fleadh.

Growing up, from four to 14, McKenna enjoyed adventures with his father staying in B&Bs, guesthouses and camping across the country.

In the film, set in Ireland in the late 1990s, Mr McKenna tells the story of his own childhood– it follows a father and son as they embark on an adventure around Ireland, creating memories for the young boy that will live with him forever.

One of the main characters, Oscar (played by Ewan Morris), a young boy, finds himself navigating the true essence of adventure and chaos with his father, Hugh (played by Steve Wall), one spirited weekend away at a time.

Mr McKenna’s parents were separated and he spent his childhood in two different homes – one with his mother and the other on the road with his father.

“I was having these mad adventures with my dad on the weekends and coming home to stability on weekdays,” he said.

“The adventure could be as simple as crab fishing or looking for spider crabs. We also used to love chasing storms, thunder and lightning.”

One of his most fond memories was when he was seven. “My dad said he had something to tell me, he said ‘I’ve won the lotto but I have lost the tickets’.

"We drove around different bars and beaches, searching for the tickets.

"As I grew older, it was all just made as an adventure for me,” he said.

“When I set out to make this film, I wasn’t expecting the film to be as emotional as it’s been.

“I always felt like it was quite an Irish story.

“Although the themes of it were quite global, I didn’t know how it would read with different audiences.

“Now it has proven to have a global appeal and that’s very humbling… it’s just magical.”

Produced by Natalie Britton and Gráinne Dwyer, Two For The Road, which premiered in July, won the RTÉ Francis MacManus Short Story competition before it was made into a short film, with its original title, Guinness & Coke.