Jade’s powerful and inspiring film
‘ENDLESS SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY’ TELLS THE STORY OF THE LATE JADE AND ANTHONY MCCANN FROM GREYSTONES
THE documentary ‘Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day’ is ‘full of disturbing strength and passion’, according to musician Finbar Furey, who viewed the film about the late Jade and Anthony McCann.
‘It’s one of the most powerful pieces of film I’ve ever seen,’ said singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey, one of thousands to see the piece online.
‘I’m quite overwhelmed by the amount of feedback we’ve received and the amount of people who went and bought it,’ said Jade’s brother Eoin. ‘Nearly 2,000 people pre-ordered it.’
Jade’s mum Kim said that she was pleased with how the film turned out. ‘It didn’t show us as a family in misery, we never were,’ said Kim. ‘We still had a laugh. It was important and it kept us going.’
The documentary features Greystones woman Jade McCann, who was 24 when she passed away in October 2019 from a rare form of cancer, and her dad Anthony, who died in January 2020.
Cluster Fox Films had been working on the project with Jade and Anto for the previous two years, with actor John Connors spearheading the film. Mr Connors and Tiernan Williams spent 18 months documenting the story of the McCann family of Redford Park. The film is directed by Mr Connors and is his feature documentary directorial debut. The documentary won the ‘Audience Award for Best Film’ at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film
Festival in March. It received a standing ovation, winning critical acclaim for its raw emotional power and ability to inspire.
Both Kim and Eoin said that they are very pleased that the documentary has been so well received ‘Jade would have loved it,’ said Kim. All she ever wanted to do was work in media. She definitely would have gone far. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.’
‘Even posthumously, she got what she wanted,’ said Eoin. ‘She worked very hard. She left a legacy. You can carry on with your life, be positive and don’t give up.’
Eoin said that his sister wanted to find the good in every day. ‘Even on her worst days she would get up and have a laugh, she always found something in the day to make it worth it.’
Kim said that in honour of Anthony and Jade, she won’t lie down with this, having lost her dear husband and daughter. ‘She was so positive and so motivated,’ said Kim.
Eoin said that his dad, his hero, always said that it’s all about mentality. ‘If you want to do something, or make something or get your point across,’ said Eoin. ‘ That’s the way they lived.
Both Jade and her dad suffered from a rare form of cancer. Eoin has now found out that he has the gene which makes the cancer so aggressive. He is taking it all in his stride, and hopeful that if he were to get ill, early detection would make all the difference.
He will be tested regularly in order to catch any potential illness as soon as possible. ‘As it stands I’m fit and healthy,’ he said.
The gene in question is designed to fight off terminal illness. ‘With me it exacerbates it,’ said Eoin. And that was the case for his dad and sister.
It is their attitude which is now inspiring Eoin to stay positive. ‘My dad was my best friend and my role model now,’ said Eoin. ‘He was able to deal with his daughter getting sick and dying and his own sickness. Him being able to withstand that much is the reason I am able to keep moving forward.’
Kim and Eoin initially saw a preview of the film, with just a small number of people invited. ‘ That was a hard watch the first time, it was very emotional,’ said Kim. ‘ The second time was the première and that wasn’t so bad as we’d seen it before. The way it was put together was amazing.
I’m very pleased with how it shows us as a family, there’s no pretence about it and there’s humour in it.’
The documentary will be available online until Tuesday, April 21.
Eoin and Kim are coping well with isolation. Kim takes a walk to the cemetery each day with the dog, and says hello to Jade and Anthony. ‘I like being on my own and chilling out,’ said Eoin, who is also playing guitar again.
Their hardships, while painful, have reaffirmed their faith in people, said Eoin. ‘Everyone is so kind, supportive and genuine,’ he said. The mum and son are determined to enjoy life as much as possible. ‘You have to put your best foot forward, and not sit around being miserable,’ said Eoin. ‘If Jade or dad saw that they’d give you a kick. You have to get up off your arse and do your best to keep moving.’
Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day is available on Vimoe’s Video on Demand Service, as well as clusterfoxfilms.com.
The price is €6.99 on Vimeo and €5.99 on clusterfoxfilms.