Banshee

Belfast Exposed presents Banshee, as part of the NI Mental Health Arts Festival. A short gothic horror film by filmmaker and photographer Mervyn Marshall and composed entirely of still images, Banshee recounts the tale of a teenage girl who is pursued by the notorious phantom of Irish folklore whilst tending to her dying mother. ‘The creative decision to make a film from still photographs has shaped the project into what it has become. I wanted to create a film that felt like it belonged in the tradition of folktales – retold and transformed over time. At its heart, this is a film about the way in which myths and legends filter into our psyche and affect the way we process trauma. Photography by its nature belongs to the past and has always had a romantic relationship with death dating back to its creation. Using it to tell a narrative story, I found there is something disturbing in the inherent lack of movement. The sense of dread is distilled and the line between what is living and what is dead becomes blurred.’ Mervyn Marshall

THE ARTIST

Mervyn Marshall