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Attendees at a recent Kerry Film Film Bursary Development Seminar at Kerry County Council.
JUST under 30 filmmakers gathered at County Buildings on Thursday to discuss the current call for applications to the county’s first Film Bursary.
With the recent announcement of a new short film bursary funded by Kerry County Council and The Arts Council, film making in Kerry is set to get even more active as filmmakers across Ireland look to Kerry to take part in the competition process.
“We had a very positive, robust discussion about shooting film in Kerry and we were delighted with the attendance and the range of expertise in the room” stated Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer, who co-ordinated the meeting.
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The Film Bursary Award aims to foster talent, and activity in filmmaking in County Kerry. The Bursary is for a short drama film of 10 to 12 minute in duration; it is set as a grant and valued at €15,000 for 2018.
Applications can be made by online by clicking here. An experience in filmmaking is required and applicants also need to prove that a director and/or a producer have seen the script and have a sense of its suitability to go to production.
Speaking at the seminar Alan Fitzpatrick, Former Director at Filmbase spoke about the need for applicants to have a sense of Kerry as a location for their film shoot and this must evident in their applications.
“Kerry offers such a wide geography to choose from, urban, rural, magnificent built and natural environments, understanding permissions, what is possible and what is mandatory is important and support will be given to the successful applicant to ensure their vision for their film is realised,” Alan stated.
In attendance also and offering advice to the grouping was Connor O’Carroll, independent Location Manager and Maeve McGrath, Director of Kerry Film Festival.
Frank Hartnett of Kerry County Council went through risk assessment and safety aspects relevant to filming in Kerry and overall the feedback from the group appeared consistent, that the Bursary is very attractive to filmmakers and that Kerry offers a very supportive environment for films to be shot.
We can expect that a great number of film makers will visit the county, scouting out good locations in the coming weeks. The deadline for receipt of applications to the Bursary is Friday 27th April at 1.00pm.
