The Festival de Málaga presented 'Ghostlight', one of the eight films in the Mosaic section, this Friday 21 March at the Echegaray Theatre: International Scene section.
It is an intimate drama directed by Alex Thompson and written by Kelly O'Sullivan, where the theatre becomes a refuge for a man struggling with his pain and isolation. With an outstanding performance by Keith Kupferer, the film is a moving reflection on art as a means of emotional healing.

Dan (Keith Kupferer), a middle-aged construction worker, is dealing with a family tragedy that has alienated him from his wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and his talented but difficult daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). Seeking a distraction from his pain, Dan joins an amateur theatre company made up of misfits. What begins as an inconsequential activity becomes an emotional journey where the leading characters must play the title role in a modest production of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. In the process, Dan confronts his deepest emotions and finds in theatre an unexpected avenue of redemption.

The screening of the film was attended by the two directors Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thomson. For her part, director Kelly O'Sullivan stressed that she "loves" theatre and has been involved in it since she was 9 years old. She went on to share that she began "writing this story in the pandemic", when she felt "curious" about "how a middle-aged man, who has never expressed his emotions, would act if he was faced with acting and his emotions".

Director Alex Thomson reflected that at the beginning they did not intend that "it would be a real family" that would develop this story. Thomson confessed that it is "complex to create an independent film that allows you to tell the story you want to tell to an audience that wants to hear it".

Chicago-based director, writer and producer, Alex Thompson has made a name for himself in independent cinema for his intimate and thoughtful narrative style. His first feature film, 'Saint Frances' (2019), premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for "Breakthrough Voice" and the Audience Award. His filmography includes both feature and short films with a marked sensitivity for human stories.

Screenwriter, director and actress Kelly O'Sullivan has established herself as one of the most interesting voices in American independent cinema. Her screenwriting debut, 'Saint Frances' (2019), was critically acclaimed, earning a Special Jury Prize for 'Breakthrough Voice' at SXSW and a John Cassavetes Award nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. She was included in Filmmaker magazine's list of 25 New Faces of Independent Film.

After its screening at the Festival de Málaga, 'Ghostlight' will be released in Spanish cinemas in the second half of 2025, distributed by Festival Films.