Four years after the breakthrough success of his debut album A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery, Dundalk songwriter, musician, and composer, David Keenan, is the subject of a film – titled Focla ar Chanbhás (Words on Canvas) that documents his inner and outer worlds, all told as Gaeilge.
“Anger is easy to portray, it’s the hurt that’s hard”, he says, as we explore David’s word-smithing over the course of 500 days.
This is a portrait of one artist as a young man, which in turn is a portrait of every musical artist as they endeavour to stand out in a world of “algorithm and blues”, and remain authentically and powerfully true to themselves.
The film will premiere in North America at the Chicago Irish Film Festival on February 28th before moving to the Capital Film Festival in DC and then closing New York’s Craicfest on March 8th.
Set for Irish, European and UK screenings later in 2025, the film is directed by Paddy Hayes of Tua films and was made in association with the Arts Council of Ireland and TG4.
Feature Image: David Keenan by Fnati.c.headshots
