THOMAS McQUILLAN
 THOMAS McQUILLAN
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel? I had been writing short films for over 10 years, and thought it was finally time to jump to my first feature film. And I knew that this was the perfect story to tell as a feature. ‘The Space We Share’ is the most personal project I’ve ever created. Although the characters and events are fictional, the emotional truth behind the story comes from a very real place. Several years ago, I went through a period of severe depression, intrusive thoughts, and months of therapy that fundamentally changed how I understood myself. This story grew from that experience. Tom’s journey isn’t my story, but the emotions behind it are ones I know intimately: guilt, loneliness, fear of opening up, and the slow, fragile process of learning to trust again. I wanted to portray these struggles honestly, without glamour or melodrama, and to show that connection, even in its smallest, simplest form, can be life-changing. It reflects the reality of so many young people, especially in places like Northern Ireland where mental health issues are often hidden or unspoken. How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN? The Space We Share took roughly half a year to write the first full draft. I started writing it back in May 2025 and now have finally got it to a great place, currently in its 8th draft. My writing process always begins with the characters rather than the plot. I spend a lot of time understanding who they are, what they're afraid of, and what they want before I think about specific scenes. Once I know the emotional journey, I'll write a treatment and create a rough scene-by-scene outline to make sure the story has a clear structure. From there, I move into the screenplay fairly quickly. I don't use index cards or a whiteboard but instead, I keep a detailed outline and allow the characters to naturally shape the dialogue and moments within each scene. Some of my favourite scenes have come from allowing conversations to develop organically rather than forcing them to fit a rigid plan. As both a writer and director, I'm a very visual storyteller. I often imagine the film playing in my head while I'm writing, thinking about silence, framing, and visual metaphors just as much as dialogue. For The Space We Share, the recurring shadow became a way of expressing depression and anxiety visually, allowing emotion to be communicated through imagery rather than exposition. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? My ultimate ambition is to tell honest, character-driven stories that connect with people long after they've watched it. I'm particularly drawn to stories that explore mental health, loneliness, grief and human connection, because they're experiences that so many people share but often struggle to talk about. As a filmmaker from Belfast, Northern Ireland, I'd love to continue creating films that can travel internationally while remaining rooted in authentic, local voices. I want to build a career writing and directing independent feature films that premiere at major festivals, reach audiences around the world, and hopefully encourage conversations that continue beyond the credits. If someone watches one of my films and feels a little less alone, then I've achieved what I set out to do. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I submitted the full screenplay for The Space We Share. At the time, it was around the fourth or fifth draft, and the screenplay has continued to evolve significantly since then. I chose to submit the complete script because I wanted the judges to experience the full emotional journey of the characters. The relationship between Tom and Amy develops gradually, and many of the film's themes—grief, depression, anxiety, and human connection—are designed to build over the course of the story. I felt that a full screenplay would give a much clearer representation of what I was trying to achieve than just the opening ten pages. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? This is a tough question as I have so many. Some films that truly stick out for me are films like ‘Aftersun’, ‘Hamnet’, ‘Small Things like These’, ‘Steve’ and many others. The reason why I connect with them all is because of how raw, honest, and emotionally authentic they are. They don't rely on spectacle or huge set pieces; instead, they trust the audience to connect with quiet moments, subtle performances, and the emotions that often go unspoken. Those are the kinds of stories I aspire to tell. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? The biggest piece of advice I can give is: don't be afraid to rewrite. My screenplay reached the Finals with what was roughly my fourth or fifth draft, and I'm now on draft eight. Every round of feedback made the script stronger, and each rewrite helped me understand my characters and story on a deeper level. I'd also encourage writers to seek honest feedback from people you trust. It can be difficult to hear criticism, but the right notes can elevate your screenplay far beyond what you could achieve on your own. Finally, write the story that genuinely means something to you, not the one you think competitions want to read. The scripts that tend to stand out are the ones with a clear voice and an emotional truth behind them. If you believe in the story you're telling, that passion will come through on the page. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? Currently, all my focus has been trying to get ‘The Space We Share’ made. Constantly applying for funding schemes within Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Also, I have been trying crowdfunding as a way to get this film off the ground. But in order to keep myself as busy and creative as possible until then, I have been continuing working on short films. Mainly short Dramas and Comedies. |
