Cork man's new drama filmed in popular city restaurant

Crosshaven film-maker Jay Woodard is set to make waves on the festival circuit with his latest short film, The Leftovers.

Known for his genre short films, such as his Western Strangers and the 2024 post-apocalyptic drama The Last Echo, Woodard shifts focus with The Leftovers, opting for a more grounded and relatable story.

Set over a single evening in a high-end Cork restaurant, the film centres on an encounter between two people navigating life after divorce.

The story follows Clare and Simon, who unwittingly book tables for separate dates at the same venue and time.

Their initial attempts to avoid each other unfold through strained politeness and awkward interactions, culminating in a subtle yet emotionally charged confrontation about their shared history.

Woodard, happily married himself, says the inspiration came from imagining how his life might look if it changed dramatically.

“The idea was to imagine what my life would look like if I were separated from my wife, if everything had gone wrong, and I was a divorced man with two kids,” he explained.

“Obviously, that’s not the case in real life - we are very happy - so that’s not going to happen. But I was curious: where would I be in the world as a 30-something-year-old divorced man? How would I live?

“That is where the character of Simon came from.

“Clare is loosely based on my wife, more as a reflection of what kind of situation or dynamic we might find ourselves in.”

Woodard, who is also an actor, had originally intended to take on the lead role in The Leftovers but chose instead to appear in a cameo and focus on directing, following advice from the film’s producer, Cork-based videographer Maxim Baronin.

The role of Simon went to Emmet Byrne, a decision Woodard said resulted in a far stronger film.

“Max, our producer, suggested that the film would suffer if I was acting in it and directing, and he was right. He had worked with Emmet before on a shoot in Cork city and suggested him, so we asked him to send a self-tape. What he did in the self-tape was great.

“We only did one read-through with the full cast and one rehearsal on Zoom; everything else we did on set, because I don’t like to over-rehearse.”

Clare is played by French actor and musician Lucie Azconaga, who is based in Ireland. Woodard says the character was originally meant to be Irish, but Azconaga’s audition convinced him she was the right choice for the role.

“I wrote Clare as Irish because, as I mentioned, I was loosely basing the couple on myself and my wife -we’re both Irish. When Lucie sent in her self-tape, she was so good I knew she had to play Clare.”

The film also stars Lizzie Phiri, a Cork actor who plays Simon’s date, who Woodard says was a great find.

“I didn’t know Lizzie beforehand, but she has done some great work, including The Young Offenders. I am delighted to have worked with her on this, and we have worked together since then as well.”

Local viewers will recognise the film’s setting, Greenes Restaurant on MacCurtain Street.

“We contacted Ricardo at Greene’s, met him for a coffee, and told him we needed the space for two days,” said Woodard. “He just said, ‘No problem’.

There was no back-and-forth, no restrictions. He was incredibly accommodating. He even appears in the film at the beginning.

“Ricardo loves film, and he couldn’t have been more helpful.”

The film-maker also had the opportunity to meet with renowned Cork producer Julie Ryan, who offered him invaluable advice.

“I was lucky to get some time with Julie, and we had a good chat. She said genre work is great but suggested I make something less genre and put it on the festival circuit to get my name out there, meet people at festivals, and build a reputation and relationships that would help further my career beyond short films.

“I thought I would try a drama, but when we were shooting it, it became clear that The Leftovers is a drama with hints of comedy.”

Looking ahead to his future projects, and with The Leftovers now complete and heading to the festival circuit, Woodard has turned his attention to his first feature film.

The Twins O’Brien, a Western, is about two Irish brothers who survived the Famine and head to the American West in search of fortune. Their plans are upended when they discover that the town’s powerful British businessman is the same landlord who once starved their community in Ireland.

“Irish humour is really a defence mechanism for a lot of us, so I thought if I dropped the brothers into one of the harshest possible settings - the Wild West - but kept that brotherly banter, I could build a strong drama with plenty of comedy in it,” said Woodard.

“I see it as Unforgiven meeting In Bruges in the Wild West. I love dark humour. I’m really excited about it and have big plans, so fingers crossed The Leftovers helps me get a platform at festivals to meet producers and distributors.”

With big plans for the future, Woodard is now looking forward to bringing The Leftovers to the Fastnet Film Festival in May.

“We have gone every year for the last three or four years. We bring the family down, so to be at the festival as part of it this year is class.”

For information on Woodard’s work, go to https://www.jaywoodard.ie/