WATCH: This Moving Irish Film About Travelling Abroad For An Abortion Is Screening At Cannes This Week

An indie Irish film with an extremely topical story-line is screening at Cannes Film Festival this week.

'Twice Shy' tells the story of a young couple who travel to England from Ireland as the result of an unplanned pregnancy.

Starring familiar faces such as Ardal O’Hanlon and Pat Shortt and directed by Tom Ryan, the film aims to show how travelling overseas for an abortion can affect both people in a relationship - an experience that will resonate with many an Irish person.

Tom Ryan told The Journal that:

"It’s a very important topic and one which is the source of much debate in Ireland. We are hoping that the film will go some way to showing the issue in a new light.”

"Although it’s fundamentally a story about young love, Twice Shy will explore how leaving home to have an abortion overseas can affect a relationship. We hope to do this in a relevant non-judgemental manner."

The Irish Family Planning Association shows that between 1980 and 2015, at least 165,438 women and girls who accessed UK abortion services provided Irish addresses.

At a time when the abortion debate is hugely topical, this film, which will open in Irish cinemas on June 23rd, is sure to open up a lot of very important conversations.

Watch the official trailer here: