Eight poems. One journey through depression – toward healing.
The Movie
The Seagull Collection is a short poetic film built around eight works by writer Kenneth Finnerty, whose voice and words create the emotional heart of the piece. Written during his ongoing struggle with depression, Finnerty’s poems trace the difficult terrain of mental illness, moving through silence, loss, numbness, and despair.
Across the film, each poem becomes a chapter in an inward journey, reflecting the darkness that isolates and the tenderness that survives beneath it. Through raw honesty and unfiltered self-examination, the work builds toward something fragile but unmistakably present: recovery. Rather than offering a quick resolution, the film honours the complexities and nuance of healing. Its pauses, its relapses, and its quiet moments of hope.
The Seagull Collection captures the relationship between art and survival, revealing how self-expression can become a lifeline. It is both a portrait of one person’s experience and a universal meditation on pain, resilience, and the slow rediscovery of connection.
Bios:
R M Chapple (Director)
R M Chapple was born in London, raised in rural county Galway, and has lived in Belfast since 1997. Having suffered with depression as well he felt that Kenneth’s poetry spoke to his own experience and was driven to make a film to explore those themes and bring this conversation to a wider audience.
Kenneth Finnerty (Poet)
Kenneth comes from a rural background in the west of Ireland but work as a software developer. Having lived in Belfast for 20 years, he has had time to witness the city’s changes. He says, ‘I wrote these poems after experiencing loss, social disorientation following the disruption of Covid, and insecurity in a working environment where redundancies were common. Most of the pieces were written while I was coming through a period of depression, from which I’ve now made a full recovery. I feel freer than ever to write about whatever I choose.’
Saturday the 24th of January, 2026. Accidental Theatre, Shaftsbury Square. Doors 10:30
Tickets (£8/£10) via Accidental Theatre: https://accidentaltheatre.co.uk/box-office/the-seagull-collection
Trailer: https://youtu.be/KE3F4zhy6Po
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39128076/