Acclaimed director Ken Wardrop’s latest film project “Cocooned” to broadcast on RTÉ One this September
A creative and often irreverent documentary explores our older generation’s reaction to be being confined during the various stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Filmed from March 2020 to January 2021, the film introduces us to some extraordinary men and women – characters with real life experience to last the course of being “cocooned”. This is a story that celebrates the resilience and bravery of our older generation and that honours their acceptance and grit in the face of adversity.
The film was the director’s personal reaction to the Covid-19 crisis. Ken’s mum Ethel resides in a nursing home. Both Ken and his family experienced first hand the often complicated and sad times associated with lockdown restrictions. However, as a filmmaker Ken has always tried to find the light in the darkest of times. “Cocooned” is a film that aims to put smiles on faces while still reminding us that there are many sad hearts.
Ken worked closely with the award-winning cinematographer Kate McCullough during the crisis to craft this absorbing picture of lives under lockdown. Photographed primarily at night through peoples’ windows while conversations are recorded on telephones, “Cocooned” exquisitely showcases the calm eeriness of the national lockdowns.