Six Semesters

Not only The SIXSEM Production Company's very first project, 'Six Semesters' was also Ireland's first ever student feature film. Two years in production at Dublin City University, the film premiered at the Sugar Club, Dublin in April 2008. The film received press on among others RTÉ Television, Newstalk, LMFM and in Hot Press, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, Film Ireland.

A romantic comedy set over three years of a college course, the film centres on Eddie (DALLAN MCCORMICK) and his unique, entrepreneurial part-time job of breaking up couples through a highly successful internet agency. But, his suspicious views of love and romance take an interesting turn when Ailbhe (MARIE-CLAIRE HOEY), a girl he meets in his first few days at college, begins to feature heavily in his ever-complicated life.

A Scene From Six Semesters

The Festival Circuit

'Six Semesters' was chosen to play in a number of film festivals across Europe and United States.

It was the first feature length student film to secure a slot in Ireland's prestigious Galway Film Fleadh, playing in the Wildcard Category on the 9th of July 2009. The Culture & Cultures Intercultural Film Festival in France was next to receive 'Six Semesters' on the 9th of September 2009 and then it was back to Ireland for the Clones Film Festival on the 24th of October 2009.

'Six Semesters' then ventured across to America where it first played in the New Filmmakers Series in New York City on the 17th of March 2010. It then crossed country over to California to play in the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on the 20th of March 2010. From there it was over to Providence, Rhode Island for the SENE Film, Music & Arts Festival on the 10th of April 2010. And finally, 'Six Semesters' headed up to the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival on the 19th of April 2010.

Six Semesters On The Radio

Newstalk 106-108 FM

LMFM

The Making Of...

Part One

Part 2

Part 3

Six Semesters on TV

Press and Festivals

Click here to see press clippings in high resolution

Characters...

Photos from the film

Behind The Scenes...

Photos from the making of the film

"Director John McKeown is one to watch for the future.”

Gorden Hayden,   Film Critic, TV3 & Spin 103.8

"All the stuff that [films by] first-time film-makers tend to get wrong, [Six Semesters] managed to get right. There's a strong, coherent narrative structure that keeps the attention; technically, it's a fine piece of work… lighting, editing and camerawork are all first rate…Best of all though were the performances. The leads were chosen wisely. Dallan McCormick is an impressive Everyman that you're interested in following and many of the pals are well cast. The real revelation, however, is Marie Claire Hoey as Ailbhe. She's a natural actress, the camera loves her and she delivers an utterly charming, utterly believable performance that doesn't waver (as so often happens with inexperienced actors on long shoots)… [Six Semesters] is a fine movie that deserves to be seen."

Michael Doherty, RTE Film Critic

"Clever, well-written, well-acted and a great concept"

Wendy Eidson, director of San Luis Obispo Film Festival in California

"I loved Six Semesters. Coming from a novice crew and director made the film even more impressive. Story well written and original and professionally executed with attention to detail with performances unnoticeable carrying you along. As a spectator you were involved and amused. I look forward to John's next film."

Denis Piel, Festival Director, Culture & Cultures International Film Festival 2009

"…great characters, good dialogue (and a rarity for me) I ended up genuinely hoping the guy would get the girl. It's an ultra-ultra-low budget film that manages to be infinitely better than most college rom-coms I've seen (not hard I know) … likely one of the better [wild cards] one will come across."

Gar O’Brien, organiser of the Wild Card section of Galway Film Fleadh, 2009

"McKeown is fortunate in his leads. ... The two of them capture nicely that ambiguity of student life in which it is sometimes hard to delineate between being good buddies or perhaps something more. By embracing his student film limitations, McKeown has made it easy to underestimate what he has accomplished. ...for a generation weaned on blogs and reality TV, [Six Semesters] is pretty darn solid entertainment "

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