The Pull

A rope divides two teams, but it also holds together the men gripping it. The Pull, written and directed by Jack Lloyd and submitted to the International Sport Film Festival 2026, uses this collective gesture to tell the story of a man struggling to find his place. It is 1987: Sean Walsh, a former IRA volunteer exiled from home and unable to see his daughter, travels to Northern Ireland for a tug-of-war match.

Sean brings something to the contest that began long before it. His desire to win is entangled with separation from his family and a violent past he must confront. Before the match, in the changing room, he tries to reach home by telephone. Distance from those he loves accompanies his sporting preparations, while the support of his coach and teammates offers a different sense of belonging.

The Kilmeena team faces Dundonald in a sports hall. The short follows preparations and the effort of pulling, focusing on hands, faces and bodies leaning along the rope. The tension in the rope runs through the space between the two groups; around them, the spectators place the contest in a public setting, beyond Sean’s individual experience.

Tug of war requires each athlete to support the others. When the drive to prevail meets a teammate’s physical pain, this interdependence becomes the centre of the conflict. For Sean, pushing on also means confronting his bond with the team and what he is prepared to ask of the men beside him. The match gives tangible form to the relationship between determination, trust and responsibility.

Made in colour and shot on 16 mm, the short sets the enclosed changing room alongside the confrontation in the sports hall. The credits name Ruyou Lin as producer and Neil Linpow among the cast. Across ten minutes and thirty seconds, The Pull brings together family drama and Northern Ireland’s historical context through a sport in which individual strength depends continually on the group.