Justin Ensor

Storyland is an award-winning initiative by RTÉ.ie and Screen Ireland, a program that develops and showcases new, original Irish short dramas by emerging talent in writing, directing, and acting. It operates as a competitive call-out for scripts, with the top finalists receiving funding and support to produce their 25-minute short dramas, which are then broadcast on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.

‘Flicker’ is a portrait of Danny (Peter Newington), a typical twenty-something Dubliner, who gets assaulted one night in a city centre nightclub. Escaping the incident with only minor injuries, Danny throws himself back into his old routine: early-morning classes, five-a-side football, late nights on the sesh with the lads. Pretty soon, however, Danny begins to realise that the assault has affected him in more ways than one.

On Halloween night in Dublin, rugby player Jace meets aspiring filmmaker Charlie at a college party. They both attend Trinity but come from different worlds. Charlie is trans and involved in the arts, while Jace mostly hangs out with other straight guys from his team or business course. Despite their differences, they strike up a connection. After the party is abruptly broken up by the Guards, they continue getting to know each other while wandering around nighttime Dublin, reminiscing and sharing their dreams and concerns for life after college. When a startling connection from their shared past is revealed, Jace is forced to reckon with long-buried actions, and the social identity he’s taken for granted.