Echo
Allister, an amateur radio enthusiast in Northern Ireland, has difficulty speaking due to damaged vocal cords. At first glance, his world seems small, consisting of hanging up laundry, vacuuming and dozing in a chair. But in the 13 minutes of this film, we see his horizons expand.
Grainy, faded images of a motocross race, a factory, or a woman smiling and waving at the camera are like windows to the past. And from a room full of radios and cables, under a roof full of antennas, Allister makes contact with the outside world.
Echo is a layered and moving portrait showing the intrinsic human need for connection, the need to feel part of a community—and the surprising forms such a community can take.
Ross McClean
Ross McClean is a filmmaker from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He studied creative documentary in Canada, Hungary, Portugal & Belgium and graduated from the European documentary directing masters program DocNomads. On returning home, Ross lectured in Documentary and Film Production at Queens University whilst creating work about his homeland.
His films have screened in over 50 local and international film festivals. Hydebank (2019) premiered at DokLeipzig, IDFA, Hot Docs and won Best Short Documentary at Galway, London Short, Spektrum, Docs Ireland and Leeds. His latest short film, Echo (2023), premiered at IDFA, True/False & Sheffield DocFest. Ross is currently in production on his first feature length documentary supported by BFI DocSociety, Arte, Screen Ireland and IDFA Project Space, among others.
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