Pavee Lackeen DVD

Ten-year-old Winnie (Winnie Maughan) lives with her mother and siblings in a dilapidated trailer on the side of the road in a desolate industrialized area of contemporary Dublin. Following Winnie through several weeks of her life she struggles with her identity as a young Traveller girl, Pavee Lackeen dispels stereotypes to offer an intimate portrait of a resilient and spirited youngster and her proud, dignified family struggling day by day against faceless bureaucracy, poverty and prejudice.

Pavee Lackeen presents an unflinching and realistic portrait of a marginalised community living in a modern, prosperous Ireland. Filmed with a cast of mostly non-professionals - with Winnie Maughan's illuminating presence providing the film with its beating heart - the use of Travelling people playing characters near to their own resonates with real life experience.

Evoking Kes and In This World with its realistic approach and avoidance of sentimentality, director Perry Ogden - who documented the experience of the young poor in Dublin with his photo book 'Pony Kids' - has crafted one of the most distinctive debuts to come out of Ireland in years.