Christian Wethered music video chosen for Dublin International Short Film & Music Festival

Christian Wethered's cinematic music video for 'La Madeleine', which premiered on the Hot Press YouTube channel in May 2021, has been chosen for the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival, it has been announced.

DISFM Festival dates in 2022 are October 7th-9th and will take place in two main venues, Cineworld for the short films screenings and The Sugar Club for the awards ceremony on the 9th of October.

La Madeleine, Directed by Richard Lennon, Music Video, Ireland, 6min, 2021
Directed, filmed, and edited by Richard Lennon and with performance and choreography by Roseanne Lynch, this film has been such a very rewarding collaboration for Darn Skippy. @darnskippy_prod pic.twitter.com/iAzSUNY4AS

— DISFMF (@DISFMF) September 20, 2022

Known for his subtle and thoughtful style, Wethered wanted to capture a brooding feeling of loss and emptiness for 'La Madeleine'.

“The song explores the bleakness and alienation experienced when being dumped," Wethered says of the single. "I used to live in a small town in France called La Madeleine, and I was trying to conjure this setting for the song. 'La Madeleine' is an epic song about heartbreak. At the same time, it's also about nothing at all: the lonely absences and pauses between. It was originally supposed to be a quiet, traditional folk song, but the drum groove made the sound really big. Though it's loud, the sound is about absence, the subject the song approaches is empty space.”

Featuring Dylan Lynch on percussion, Sara O’Loughlin on backing vocals and Cil Byrne on electric guitar and bass, the song was recorded in Wexford with Darragh Nolan at Asta Kalapa studios. The music video follows a young woman who escapes into the world of a silent cinema film reel. Created by Darn Skippy Productions, this is a film by Richard Lennon, with performance and choreography by Roseanne Lynch.

The musician and poet's debut album, Mon Petit Jardin, dropped in October 2021.

"The album is about loss and abandonment in the context of suffering from M.E. (Myalgic Encephalitis)," explained Wethered at the time. "It's predominantly a folk/alternative album and also has a retro French vibe (Gainsbourg, Dutronc, Barbara), which derives from when I was living in France. The album is ostensibly about a breakup in France, so the French Chanson went hand in hand."

The record also features the musical talents of drummer Dylan Lynch from Soda Blonde and Cillian Byrne from Basciville. In 2020, Wethered performed as part of the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series, which you can revisit here.

Taking influence from the likes of Laura Marling, Iron and Wine and Nick Cave, Wethered uses visceral poetry and raw, emphatic instrumentation to address complex themes. His debut poetry book, I Don’t Love You, won the Melita Hume Prize in 2021.

Watch the video for 'La Madeleine' below via Hot Press' YouTube channel.