At Home and Abroad

HOUSEWIFE OF THE YEAR explores Ireland's treatment of women through the prism of a surreal televised competition, that has to be seen to be believed. A generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the honorary title of 'Housewife of the Year'. The former contestants share their direct experiences of marriage bars, lack of contraception, Magdalene Laundries, financial vulnerability, boredom, shame, and, of course, being contestants in the competition, which was their one chance at fame and recognition. It is a poignant, often hilarious, uplifting story of a resilient generation of mothers and grandmothers and how they changed a country. The film won Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Fleadh 2024 and was awarded the jury prize for Best Documentary at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Directed by Ciaran Cassidy, in English, 2024, 81 minutes Housewife of the Year’ challenges Ireland’s progressive self-image The old-fashioned competition, now the subject of a documentary, shows how far the country has come — FT.com, Jude Webber