Kova’s Courage

  • Kova, the titular Inuit character from Kova's Courage, sits upon her small iceberg playing her makeshift cello under the pink glow of Aurora Borealis. To the left of frame her small igloo emits a warm light while to the right of frame her brass telescope remains perched on the edge of the ice, facing ever outwards to the unkown.
  • An 'aerial shot' at roughly a 45 degree angle of Kova on her small iceberg,
  • BTS from stop motion animated short "Kova's Courage"
  • An Inuit teenage boy, Siku, lifts his hand to wave at Kova.
  • Two icebergs encircle one another in the Arctic, the sole inhabitants of each wave at one another across the frigid expanse.
  • Siku in a moment of despair.
  • An 'aerial shot' at roughly a 45 degree angle of Siku on his small iceberg,

“Kova’s Courage” Stills Photography

A handcrafted story of resilience and the frigid expanse seperating isolation and connection in an Arctic landscape.

“Kova’s Courage” Film Synopsis

In a treacherous Arctic landscape, two Inuit teenagers orbit each other on small, floating icebergs, their love for each other just beyond reach.

“Kova’s Courage” Key Highlights

  • Supported by The National Talent Academy’s Short Film Fund
  • Co-directed by Aisling Wallace and Anika O’Hagan-Ploug
  • Written by Denis McArdle and Produced by David Butler
  • Hand-crafted 5-minute stop-motion short film
  • A Songway Films production
  • Debuted at the 38th Galway Film Fleadh on July 12th 2026

Why “Kova’s Courage” matters

human-made in an era of ai slop

These days we are being visually inundated with artificial graphics, machine-generated images, and deepfake “art.”  The medium of stop motion animation is in many ways the antithesis to that trend.  Every element of the set, costume, even the characters and Arctic landscape itself is crafted by human hands.

emotive storytelling

Without the need for words this film tells a story that taps on emotions germane to the human experience.  Courage is literally in the title, but solitude, loss, and longing lead the viewer to the catalyst moment that could change everything.

Medium & Craft

Kova’s Courage is the first stop-motion animation production that I’ve had the privilege of visiting on set. For me, the most humbling thing about the art of filmmaking is witnessing the power of artistic collaboration, and there is perhaps nowhere this is more tangibly apparent than a stop-motion film set. Every frame is a team effort between the Directors, the Animators, and the DP. The medium demands patience, precision, and close collaboration, with the performance emerging through accumulated micro-movements rather than real-time capture.

While there were of course similarities, it was very interesting to see the differences compared to the live action sets I’ve worked on. Most notably, this was definitely the quietest and calmest set I’ve ever been on! Not for lack of pressure, time constraint, or professionalism, but because the craft demands it. The team working together in such close quarters carefully planning each movement and adjusting the puppet and set frame-by-frame.

The incredibly talented team of Anika O’Hagan-Ploug and Aisling Wallace gave life to the production not just through their Directing but by literally moulding David Butler’s story boards into being by hand-crafting the puppets and the Arctic environs of the set.

Sound Design & Mixing

Graham Tully and I have worked on some of the same films before, but he’s one of those figures I would only get to meet at crew screenings. That is until this project, when I finally had the treat of getting to observe him in his natural habitat, practicing his craft.

Handily, Graham and I are both based in Skerries, County Dublin, so I did not have far to travel to call into his studio and see him in action.  I was eager to see and document the audio post-production for several reasons, including; a genuine interest and appreciation for Graham’s craft, getting to reunite with Eliza Rae Butler who I also worked with on The Light Within in 2024? and Field Queens earlier this year, getting a chance to work with rising star CIllian O’Sullivan?, and last but not least the cello is my absolute favourite instrument and I adore how Denis McArdle incorporates music into all of his projects.

Aongus MacAmhlaigh lends his immense talents as a Cellist, breathing life into the piece as he bows his strings.

Film Festivals

  • 38th Galway Film Fleadh (2026 Official Selection)
  • Frame Fest (2026 Official Selection)
  • IFI Family Festival (2026 Official Selection)
  • Clare Island Film Festival (2026 Official Selection)
  • Bang Awards Festival (2026 Official Selection)

“Kova’s Courage” Cast and Crew

Cast

featuring the vocal talents of

Eliza Rae Butler as “Kova”
Cillian Sullivan as “Siku”

Crew

Writer Denis McArdle
Co-Director Anika O’Hagan-Ploug
Co-Director Aisling Wallace
DoP Adam McCormack
Producer David Butler
Music Composer Michael Fleming
Sound Design, Foley, and Mixing Graham Tully
Editor Jessica Butterfield
Visual Effects and Compositor Laura Masterson
Storyboard Artist David Butler
Colourist Laura Masterson
Titles Brónagh Malone
Lead Animator Anthea Ring
Animators Aoife O’Byrne, Iris Birke, Zai Froggatt, and Aaron Martell
Assistant Animators Bláthnaid Robin Bennett and Aobh Rooney
Camera Assistants Jessica Butterfield, Tomás Farrelly
Puppet Fabrication and Art Direction Aisling Wallace and Anika O’Hagan Ploug
Production and Set Design Anika O’Hagan Ploug
Model Making Livia Martin, Aoife Kerrigan, Irish Burke, Aisling Wallace, and Anika O’Hagan-Ploug
BTS Adam McCormack
Unit Stills Photographer Daniel Geesen

with mentorship from

Creative Director Stiúideo Fia Paul McDonnell
Storyboarding and visual storytelling John O’Connell
Studio 9 Joseph Coveney
Script editor and development Lena Byrne

for the National Talent Academy for Animation produced under the Short Film Scheme

Programme Director Deirdre Barry 
Programme Development Coordinator Ronan O’Toole
NTAA Production Coordinator Martina Keane
Programme Coordinator Róisín Chapman

National Talent Academy Animation; A Fís Éireann/Scren Ireland Initiative

“Kova’s Courage” Filming Location

  • Filmed on location at Danish Kitchen Design, Churchtown, Co. Dublin, Ireland
  • Sound recorded in Graham Tully’s studio in Skerries, Co. Dublin, Ireland

“Kova’s Courage” BTS Photography

Unit Stills Photographer Contact Details

If you are interested in learning more about my work as a Unit Stills Photographer or would like to collaborate on your next film project, please feel free to contact me!

Email: [email protected]
Location: Skerries, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Thank you for visiting my “Kova’s Courage” portfolio page. For more updates on my latest projects, stay tuned to my unit stills portfolio website, or find me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook.

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