Landscapes of Shame (2026)

In Landscapes of Shame, filmmaker Patrick Hough journeys through the haunted landscapes of Ireland, where colonial violence, ecological loss and queer desire remain inscribed in the land. Moving between forests, mountains, archives and cruising grounds, the film traces the extinction of the Irish grey wolf alongside the cultural suppression that followed Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Against the backdrop of a contemporary rise in far-right politics in Ireland, the film asks how older structures of fear, exclusion and domination continue to resurface in new forms. Fragments of history surface through objects and places: a death mask of Oliver Cromwell, medieval myths of werewolves, maps drawn to measure and divide conquered territory, and landscapes where wolves were once hunted to disappearance. These materials are interwoven with scenes of queer gathering and protest, where shame gives way to transformation, pleasure and resistance. Blending essay film, documentary and poetic fiction, Landscapes of Shame asks how violence survives in landscapes, language and bodies, and what forms of wildness still remain.

Landscapes of Shame (2026)
16mm and VHS-C film, transferred to 4k Digirak, colour, sound.
Running time: 28 min 51 sec

Funded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

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