Filmmaker Ed Burns turns to golf to make his most personal movie yet

Ed Burns’ latest film project was borne from personal tragedy and profound sadness.And in the deeply emotional way that has become a calling card of his as a filmmaker and actor for some three decades, Burns nails it with a loosely autobiographical film, “Finnegan’s Foursome,’’ which is centered around golf and the deep relationships it cultivates.Some 25 years ago, I was randomly paired with Burns’ father Ed and his uncle Pat — both NYPD officers at the time — at a Metropolitan Golf Writers outing in Westchester.And I was struck with some surprise to hear that Ed’s son didn’t play golf.A quarter century later, Burns is a certified golf junkie, a direct result of the death of his mother, Molly, which was the impetus for him writing and creating “Finnegan’s Foursome.’’“This is one of the most special films I’ve ever made,” Burns told The Post at the world premiere of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“This project came first from my mom dying during COVID from COVID.She was cremated down in Florida.

I got the ashes back up here in New York … and I said to my brother and sister, ‘Why don’t we take her ashes and go around New York to all the spots and distribute some of the ashes there?’“We went back to our house in Valley Stream, our old apartment in Woodside, up to the South Bronx, where my mom was from, went to the lobby of her building, her Catholic church where she was baptized.There was obviously some sadness to that day, but it was also kind of ridiculous and funny because we didn’t have permission to do any of this, so we ended up having a couple of laughs.“There was something in that experience I knew I was going to use [in a movie] someday.”So he did.And the film, which delivers a profound blend of humor and melancholy with a good dose of golf as the backdrop, is a feel-good story about family bonding and forgiveness.

It’s set for public release June 19 for streaming and purchase.Burns said his mot...