Repeal is the story of 3 women and the difficulties they encounter in the face of abortions laws in Ireland. Released early next month, the short is inspired by real women’s testimonies of the difficulties they have faced as a consequence of the 8th amendment, and speaks to the importance of repealing the amendment when it goes to a referendum in May. A trailer for the short, directed by Karl Callan, is available now.
Speaking to the film’s director Karl Callan, he outlined his motivation for making this film, and how he wanted Repeal to be “as real as possible”:
I first got interested in the abortions rights debate back in 2012 with the passing of Savita Halappanavar. That something like that can happen in modern Ireland is just tragic and shameful to Ireland as a country. When it became apparent that a referendum was indeed on the way I wanted to make a film that really shone a light on what women in Ireland are forced to go through here on a Daily basis. That the idea that a woman can be prosecuted and jailed for receiving what is essentially health care. The film is primarily aimed at people who may be undecided in which way to vote in the upcoming referendum and to hopefully sway them towards voting yes.
The stories within the film are all based on real life testimonies from women that have been directly affected by the 8th amendment none of the stories I have told are fiction as I wanted to make a film that was as real as possible. I also sought out advice from medical professionals who have dealt with these kinds of cases directly to get a better understanding of the moral difficulties they go through when having to make choices in a country where they too can be prosecuted for offering any kind of assistance to them.
Repeal will be released via social media on the 6th of April. The film is also set to have a premiere screening, taking place in the Irish Film Institute on the 31st of March. More information on that screening, and info on the short, including interviews and more can be found on Repeal‘s social media pages, their Facebook page and their Twitter account.