Neasa Ní Chianáin is a documentary filmmaker whose credits include “Frank Ned & Busy Lizzie,” “Fairytale of Kathmandu,” and “The Stranger,” which screened at the 67th Locarno Film Festival. Her last film, “In Loco Parentis” (“School Life”), premiered at both IDFA 2016 and Sundance 2017. It also won the Special Jury Prize of the Golden Gate Awards at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and an Audience Award (Prix du Public) at Visions du Réel in Nyon.

“Young Plato” starts screening at the 2021 DOC NYC Film Festival on November 14. The fest runs from November 10-28. The film is co-directed by Declan McGrath.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

NNC: “Young Plato” is an observational film set in an all-boys primary school in the notorious enclave of Ardoyne, Belfast. It follows maverick headmaster Kevin McArevey and his endeavor to change the course of the boys’ lives by teaching them the wisdom of the ancient Greeks.

By learning the rudiments of philosophy, the boys learn to challenge the narratives handed down to them through the generations and pause to think for themselves. We watch as they come to know themselves and their triggers, and gradually move from using their fists to using their brains. And all this is served up with a huge dollop of Belfast humor.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

NNC: Ever since my children started attending school, I really began to appreciate how education can influence the development of a child and shape their path into adulthood. While making the documentary “In Loco Parentis” (“School Life”), I witnessed first-hand the transformative effect inspirational teachers could have on their young wards’ lives.

The headmaster of Headfort was an avid proponent of critical thinking and the Socratic method of teaching. Watching him give children the space to discuss and argue different points of view on a variety of subjects was riveting — but if there was a fly in the ointment, it was that this was a private school with children from wealthy backgrounds, and there was the danger that this approach to education was a privilege for a selected few.

When I was introduced to Holy Cross Boys School, and heard that philosophy was being taught there to boys from the age of four upwards, I was hooked. Holy Cross Boys School was everything Headfort was not — a state school, in one of Belfast’s toughest neighborhoods, an area still scarred by sectarian struggle. Everywhere was walled, fenced, and gated, amplifying the notion of turf — dividing and containing people with opposing political loyalties and perceptions.

Poverty, drugs, suicide, and dissident paramilitarism continued to gnaw at the families in Ardoyne, posing a serious threat to the future of their young children. If teaching philosophy and critical thinking could work here, it could work anywhere. I had a very strong sense that we would find a story here that was worth sharing.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

NNC: Watching Kevin take the lofty ideas of philosophy and distill them down into accessible lessons for four to 11-year-olds was so inspiring. Giving children, especially young boys, the tools to recognize and cope with anxiety, anger, aggression, and despair now seems incredibly obvious.

In Western society, indiscriminate violence amongst boys has become disturbingly prevalent, so by creating empathy for different points of view, maybe there could be less polarization amongst communities and more tolerance of “the other.” The importance of critical thinking in the age of fake news has become essential. We’ve seen first-hand how huge numbers of people can easily be manipulated to act against their own interests, how they can be persuaded to put the wrong people in power.

If teaching philosophy and critical thinking to children from a young age became the norm and not the exception, then maybe the next generations would be well equipped to navigate through life and make better choices. With all the challenges the human race is now faced with, if we are to have any chance of survival, Kevin’s mantra “Think, Think, Respond!” seems like a pretty good first lesson to me.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

NNC: We had been given access to the whole school by the Board and by the parents, but then we needed to get access to the classrooms so that we could find children who would tell the story we wanted to show. A teaching space is a very private space, and it can be difficult for teachers to allow others into that space — especially a film crew. Holy Cross is also quite a big school with 430 students. It took some time to firstly find the right classroom with a helpful teacher who was willing to be filmed, and secondly, to find the right children. 

In the beginning, we cast the net very wide and we spent time in different classrooms. Slowly, little characters began to emerge. But not all stories could be told: some children came from extremely challenging situations, and we knew, ethically, we would never be able to follow through with their story, as we had to consider how the child would feel about the story in the future.

Then COVID happened and the school closed for near half of the academic year. Belfast was in complete lockdown, and we were no longer allowed to film in the school or in the community. When we returned to the school, some of our potential characters had left and others had moved into classrooms that we no longer had access to. There was a lot of juggling and starting again. We were lucky that when the school reopened, the Headmaster had made the film part of the risk assessment, so we were allowed into the school, but we only had access to two classrooms post-COVID. And filming out in the community was near impossible as visiting people’s houses was prohibited. 

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

NNC: We were extremely lucky with the funding for this film. The success of “In Loco Parentis” (“School Life”) certainly helped and the story itself was an easy pitch. People got what the film was about and although the subject matter was serious, having a quirky main character like Kevin McArevey helped. We pitched the film at the Edinburgh Pitch and at the IDFA Forum and both these platforms worked well for us.

We also had my wonderful producer and partner David Rane on board, and he pulled together an incredible matrix of funding. All in all, we ended up with nine broadcasters, three national film funds, tax credits, and two pan-European funds, Creative Europe and Eurimages. The film is a four-country co-production between Ireland, Belgium, the UK, and France.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

NNC: I was working as an art director in feature films. I really enjoyed it for a time, but then my partner took me to IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) and I discovered the world of documentaries. I’d never really seen feature docs up to that point and suddenly it opened up a whole new world for me. I was so impressed by meeting all these directors who had a fire in their belly and a story to tell.

I dipped my toe in the water, starting out as a researcher on a television doc about asylum seekers arriving in Ireland. It was a really bleak year for me, listening to one difficult story after another, exasperated by the gradual realization that many of the people I’d met would be turned away, and deported back to their country.

The experience awoke a social conscience in me that made me want to continue working in this field. What I love most about documentaries is the opportunity you get to walk in the footsteps of others and see the world from their eyes. I can’t think of any other profession that gives you that privilege.

Financially, it can be a bit tough at times, but it’s been a really enriching and humbling experience for me, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

NNC: Best advice: Stay with the story until you have it, no matter how long it takes and how much it costs.

Worst advice: Stop filming because the budget is all gone.

W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?

NNC: I think the compass has shifted to a more favorable direction now for female directors. We’re not there yet, but globally I feel there’s a recognition that women are producing the goods, and are as talented as, or more talented than, our male counterparts. Certainly in Ireland now, Screen Ireland rewards female directors by giving them 25 percent extra funding. I suppose it’s an attempt to redress the historic bias towards male directors.

My advice to women would be to own your talent, believe in your ideas, don’t allow yourself to be bamboozled by tech-speak, and don’t take “no” for an answer too easily. Surround yourself with people you trust, and you’ll find your way.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

NNC: I first fell in love with observational film when I discovered Kim Longinotto’s work. I loved her film “Divorce Iranian Style.” [I admire the] intimacy of her films, the way her subjects seemed to confide in the camera like it was an old friend. She treats every subject with great empathy, and really brings the audience into every scene. Later in life, I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. I was so impressed by her warmth and genuine humility. She’s the bar I try to reach each time in my own work.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

NNC: I was really lucky with the first lockdown. I live in a beautiful place in the country, my teenage kids were home from school, and the weather was unusually good, so we had a great few months as a family — growing veg, cooking, swimming, and playing outdoor tennis together.

Screen Ireland ran some online workshops which I attended and I managed to work on a treatment for a fiction film too, so we were safely at home, and all in all, it was a really special time.

In the second lockdown, I was editing “Young Plato.” Luckily our editor, Philippe Ravoet, having worked remotely from Belgium for several months, was able to join us in Donegal — another beautiful and wild part of Ireland, so again, we managed to have a really lovely memorable time, balancing work time with plenty of long walks.

It would be a shame if some of the positive aspects of the pandemic don’t continue — we can all learn to savor life at a slower pace.

W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make it more inclusive?

NNC: I feel it’s happening slowly already — doc funds and film festivals globally seem to recognize this underrepresentation. More money needs to be made available for directors of color. It’s probably time to implement a positive bias towards them in funding rounds. This initiative needs to be supported by training programs and mentorships as well.