Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire
On Show 2020
Lia Campbell

Lia Campbell is originally from Newtownards, Northern Ireland and is in her final year at IADT (NFS), Dún Laoghaire, completing a B/A Honours degree in Film and TV production, majoring in directing fiction. Her directorial debut ‘To All My Darlings’, written by Derek Ugochukwu, follows the story of a young Nigerian woman, Adaeze, as she finds out she may never be able to have children.

Drawn to a mixture of social realism, documentary and fictional drama, the sort of projects Lia is drawn to have a strong emotional takeaway, challenge societal stereotypes and explore individual human stories. Adaeze’s story is representative of a new Ireland and a group in Irish society that are rarely represented on screen before.

“For me, the script echoed universal themes of femininity, societal expectations and grief. On a personal level I understood Adaeze’s fear as she attempted to navigate an overwhelming world as an outsider. I felt that I could bring a unique female perspective to the project.

At its core, ’To All My Darlings’ tells the story of Adaeze’s acceptance of defeat. She must come to terms with the fact she won’t be able to have children, deal with the consequences and figure out how to navigate her own live as she moves forward. The feeling of alienation and failure is universal and I am confident that audiences will connect with the film.”