Paul Mescal takes on new role with Irish thriller' Mary Is Missing'

Paul Mescal joins Irish thriller 'Mary Is Missing' as executive producer on Oscar-qualifying short film

Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal has joined Mary Is Missing as an executive producer, supporting the Oscar-qualifying Irish short film directed by Aisling Byrne.

The psychological thriller was produced by Killian Coyle for Run of the Mill and Arcade Film. It was made in Maynooth, the town where Mescal grew up, and developed through a collaborative writers’ room involving artists with intellectual disabilities.

Mary Is Missing follows Mary, a care worker who disappears without a trace from the Yellow Tree Day Service. When Garda Foley arrives to investigate, the people who last saw Mary become key witnesses.

Their accounts, however, begin to conflict and take increasingly fantastical turns. Foley must determine whether the witnesses are telling the truth, protecting Mary, protecting themselves or describing a reality more complicated than it initially appears.

Mescal said he was drawn to the film because of its distinctive storytelling and collaborative creative process. He also highlighted the involvement of artists with intellectual disabilities and said the film’s connection to Maynooth made the project particularly meaningful to him.

Thirteen of the film’s 19 cast members are artists with intellectual disabilities. The story was developed during a 12-week writers’ room hosted by Run of the Mill, with the ensemble contributing ideas about its characters, themes and storytelling.

The film marks Byrne and Coyle’s third Oscar-qualifying short together, following Headspace and Turnaround. Headspace won the Grand Prix Irish Short at the Cork International Film Festival, while Turnaround earned qualifying awards at the Galway Film Fleadh and Foyle Film Festival.

Byrne, Coyle and Arcade Film are also developing Byrne’s debut feature, which was selected among the final 10 projects for Screen Ireland’s Perspectives scheme.