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James Kelly and Donal Dineen have won the 2023 Kerry Film Bursary.
THE 2023 Kerry Short Film Bursary of €10,000 has been awarded to Writer/Director, Dónal Dineen, and James Kelly of Feenish Productions for the short film “Save the Last Dance”.
This is the first year a documentary film has won the bursary with the interviewing panel particularly impressed with the ambitious approach of the team.
While Writer/Director Dineen is accomplished in other creative areas, this is a move into filmmaking that the panel was delighted to support. “Save the Last Dance” will explore Dónal’s relationship with his father through the prism of music, a passion that has featured strongly in both their lives.
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The short film goes into production later this summer and will screen at the Kerry International Film Festival in 2024.
The Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council & the Arts Council of Ireland in order to support filmmakers to make work in the county.
Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer, emphasised that the Bursary “gives filmmakers the opportunity to enhance their skills while shooting in Kerry.”
Kerry College Monavalley Campus, a centre of excellence for film skills training, will provide support to the production.
Dineen is delighted to get the opportunity to make this film in his home county and believes the time is right to make it now. Music has been a guiding force in his life and career to date, yet the local traditional music of Sliabh Luachra, much loved by his late father, was easily dismissed by him in his youth. In more recent years, he has come to realise the power this music holds.
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James Kelly
Producer, James Kelly, is looking forward to working with Dónal to bring this short film to the screen. James has experience working in the creative documentary space having produced a number of arts documentaries.
His company has also produced a range of music videos including ones for the Rubber Bandits, Lisa Hannigan & Mary Coughlan.
Both of the team are relishing the challenge ahead and describe winning the bursary as “a real honour”.
Kerry ETB Film Development Officer, Siobhan O’Sullivan is delighted to have a project of this ambition funded in Kerry. She outlined how “this bursary is intended to support filmmakers in finding their voice. This is a great example of a story that has the potential to be told in a fresh, innovative and exciting way.”
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