An extraordinary Irish film. An extraordinary group of artists. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Mary is Missing is an award-winning Irish short film with a genuine chance of securing an Academy Award nomination – and we need your help to bring it all the way to Hollywood.

Produced by Run of the Mill in collaboration with Arcade Film and co-created with a remarkable ensemble of artists with intellectual disabilities, Mary is Missing has already captured audiences and juries on both sides of the Atlantic. Following its Grand Prix win at Cork International Film Festival and acclaimed US premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the film is now officially Oscar-qualified for the 2027 Academy Awards.

Now comes the next challenge: ensuring Academy voters actually see it.

Why This Film Matters

At Run of the Mill, we believe artists with intellectual disabilities deserve to see their stories represented on our screens — not as subjects, but as creators, collaborators and cultural voices.

Mary is Missing emerged from Ready to Roll, Run of the Mill's artist-development film programme delivered in partnership with Maynooth University, where thirteen artists with intellectual disabilities collaborated in an intensive writers' room process that helped shape the story, characters and world of the film. Working alongside screenwriters Aisling Byrne and Caitríona Daly, they helped create something tonally unique, deeply authentic, funny and unsettling – a psychologically ambitious thriller rooted in lived experience, collective imagination and artistic collaboration.

Set within a disability service, the film explores truth, power and the people we choose to believe. As witness accounts become contradictory, fantastical and emotionally charged, the film asks urgent questions about reliability, perception and whose voices are trusted within society.

From its earliest development through to the finished film, artists with intellectual disabilities have been central to the creative process, shaping a work that is both artistically ambitious and deeply rooted in lived experience.

An Oscar nomination would shine an international spotlight not only on the film itself, but on the extraordinary artists behind it — and on what becomes possible when inclusive filmmaking is approached with real ambition, trust and artistic excellence.

Why We Need Your Help

Making a great film is only the first step.

Every year hundreds of Oscar-qualified short films compete for a handful of nomination places. To be considered, films must reach Academy members through a carefully planned campaign that includes:

We are working with leading awards campaign specialists to ensure Mary is Missing has the best possible chance of reaching the people who decide the nominations.

Our campaign budget is €10,000.

Every donation helps put this film in front of the audiences and industry professionals who can help it take the next step.

Where Your Donation Goes

Funds raised will support:

Any funds raised beyond our target will be invested directly into an expanding the campaign or future projects with artists with intellectual disabilities through Run of the Mill.

About Run of the Mill

Run of the Mill is a multi-award-winning Irish arts organisation dedicated to supporting artists with intellectual disabilities to create ambitious, high-quality work across film and theatre.

Our films have screened internationally, won major awards and reached audiences around the world. Mary is Missing is our second Oscar-qualifying film, and our most ambitious project to date.

With your support, we can ensure that the voices behind this film are heard on the world's biggest stage.

Join Us

An Oscar nomination would be historic for our artists, our organisation and inclusive filmmaking in Ireland.

If you believe these stories deserve to be seen – and these artists deserve to be recognised – please consider making a contribution and sharing this campaign with others.

Together, we can help bring Mary is Missing all the way to the Academy Awards.

Cast & Crew

Derek McSweeney as Danny

Eoghan Ashe as Eoghan

Ella-Jane Moore as Leah

Jackie O'Hagan as Joanna

John Egan as John

Keith Foley as David

Mark Smith as Peter O’Hara

Maurice Coll as Maurice

Neil Coffey as Bosco

Teresa Flood as Teresa

Wesley Fairbrother as Tom

Lucy Smith as Belle

Conor Begley as Conor

Lauren Larkin as Lauren Dalton

Lloyd Cooney as Garda Foley

Craig Connolly as Craig O’Driscoll

Clare Monnelly as Mary Peppard

Danny O’Connor as Garda Inspector

Kamilla Fenger as Keyworker

Written by Aisling Byrne & Caitríona Daly

Story by

Mark Smith

Ella-Jane Moore

Derek McSweeney

Wesley Fairbrother

Maurice Coll

Conor Begley

John Egan

Jackie O’Hagan

Eoghan Ashe

Keith Foley

Neil Coffey

Teresa Flood

Lucy Smith

Sinéad Dunne Finnegan

Directed by Aisling Byrne

Produced by Killian Coyle

Director of Photography Dan Keane

2nd Camera Kilian Waters

Editor Dan Keane

Composer Michael Flemming

Production Designer Ebun Oladeru

Costume Designer Saileóg O’Halloran

Hair & Makeup Designer Bairbre Ni Bhroin

Mary Is Missing was funded by the Arts Council of Ireland

Run of the Mill & Arcade Film

Run of the Mill 2025 ©