Tag Archives: Kerry Film Bursary

News

€10,000 Kerry Film Bursary Awarded To Donal Dineen And James Kelly

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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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News

Kerry Short Film €10,000 Bursary Now Open For Applications

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Director Mo’Connell, sound recordist, Alex O’Brien, & camera assist, Miguel Lonergan
working on the 2021 Short Film ‘Haven’. ©ScreenKerry

THE Kerry Short Film Bursary 2023 is now open for applications! €10,000 will be awarded to the successful team to produce a short drama or documentary film in the county.

This Bursary is funded through Kerry County Council Arts Service and the Arts Council of Ireland to support & encourage filmmaking within the county.

Filmmakers will be assisted through Screen Kerry – the Kerry ETB Film Development Office, and Kerry College Monavalley Campus – a centre of excellence for film training. The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm Friday April 14th.

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Applications should have a strong creative connection with Kerry, with at least one of the core creative team (Writer/Director/Producer) either from or living in Kerry. Proof of address will be required at shortlisting stage.

An online information session will be held on March 15th and will provide details on how to submit a competitive application.

Applicants are encouraged to attend this webinar to ensure their submission has the best chance of success. Register with siobhan@screenkerry.ie to attend. Follow @kerryscreencomm on Twitter or www.screenkerry.ie/filmbursary for information on dates & times.

Application forms & guidelines are available on www.screenkerry.ie/kerry-short-film-bursary. There is a two-stage selection process in this open competition with previous winners excluded from entering.

Stage one involves a shortlisting of applications while stage two requires an online interview with the shortlisted creative teams in May.

The Kerry Short Film Bursary has had a successful run to date with the 2021 film “Haven”, directed by Mo O’Connell, winning an award at the Chicago Irish Film Festival.

Meanwhile, lead Actress, Maria McDermottroe, won best actress at the Toronto Women’s International Film Festival. The 2020 film ‘Ship of Souls’ won the audience award at the Foyle Film Festival, putting it on the longlist for the 2022 Academy Awards.

Kerry ETB Film Development Officer, Siobhan O’Sullivan, said; “the importance of the film bursary in developing the film sector in Kerry and giving upcoming filmmakers the opportunity to develop their craft”.

Kerry County Council Arts Officer, Kate Kennelly, agreed describing the award as “a critical way to encourage filmmaking in the county, highlighting locations, facilities and skills available in Kerry”.

Mayor of Kerry, John Francis Flynn, welcomed the bursary funding as “a great opportunity to showcase Kerry as a filmmaking location while supporting emerging filmmakers.”

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News

Tralee Woman Awarded €10,000 Kerry Short Film Bursary

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Katie McNeice

The 2022 Kerry Short Film Bursary of €10,000 has been awarded to Tralee native, Katie McNeice, of Hardback Films and her collaborator Maggie Ryan of Escape Pod Media, for their short film “Focail Baile Croí”, (“Words Home Heart”).

It is a film that explores the depths of love and grief. In 2022 the focus remained on a strong creative connection with Kerry with at least one of the core creative team having to be from or living in Kerry.

The Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council & the Arts Council of Ireland, and is supported and co-administered by Screen Kerry, to support & encourage filmmaking within the county.

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The IV panel were impressed by the strength of this team’s application and the very affecting story the screenplay tells. Katie is an up and coming talent having previously won the Comortas Fisín Best Pitch competition.

She was a recent recipient of Kerry International Film Festival’s “Taking Flight” award, sponsored by Kerry Airport, in recognition of her co-writing role on the feature film “Who We Love”.

Maggie Ryan has in the last three years produced a number of narrative and documentary shorts. Focail Baile Croi will go into production in Kerry this summer with the involvement of local Kerry crew.

Siobhan O’Sullivan, Kerry ETB’s Film Development Officer, is “delighted to see this Irish language film receive funding in the county and is looking forward to seeing the film this team will deliver”.

The funders of the Bursary, Kerry County Council in conjunction with the Arts Council of Ireland, are clear about its impact. Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Jimmy Moloney, described how important it is “to showcase Kerry as a filmmaking location & to encourage emerging talent”.

Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer, agreed emphasising that the Bursary “gives filmmakers the opportunity to establish their filmmaking voice while shooting in Kerry.”

Kerry College Monavalley Campus, a centre of excellence for film skills training, will also provide support to the production. Con O’Sullivan, Manager, recognises that “achieving film bursary funding is a real opportunity for those setting out on their careers in the industry”.

Entertainment, News

Short Film Funded By Kerry County Council Wins Award

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THE winner of the Kerry Short Film Bursary in 2020, has been awarded Best Irish Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival in Derry.

This award puts the film, which was shot in Castlegregory,  in consideration for the BAFTAs & Academy Awards.

Kerry County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland fund this Bursary of €10,000 and were delighted to see the film achieve this success.

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Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Jimmy Moloney, congratulated the team and wished them further success saying that “this Bursary was put in place in 2018 to support and encourage filmmaking in the county and we are delighted to see films of this calibre coming through.”

Siobhan O’Sullivan, Kerry ETB Film Development Officer, further congratulated the team on their “beautifully crafted film”, noting the input of a number of local crew who were involved in the production.

“Ship of Souls” tells the story of a young Japanese woman, recently widowed, who arrives in Ireland to mourn her husband’s tragic death with his family. Their different approaches to grieving a loved one become clear and a clash of cultures ensues.

Writer/Director Jean Pasley lived in Japan for a number of years and while there witnessed Obon, the annual Festival of the Dead.

She was deeply moved by the festival, inspiring her to write “Ship of Souls”. She explains that “essentially it is a film about different ways of dealing with loss and grief. It is also about the way different cultures think about the dead. Ship of Souls offers hope to anyone who has suffered loss.”

Producer Greg Burrowes was delighted to work with Jean on the film; “I was immediately struck by how heartbreaking but elegant the story was. The funding that Kerry County Council provided us to make the film allowed Jean to craft a powerful story about loss, grief and the search for redemption, themes that have universal appeal.”

The film was shot in Castlegregory, Co.Kerry, something of a second home to Jean, and the production team found “the stunning landscape elevated the emotion of the piece”. They are thrilled to have won Best Irish Short at the Foyle Film Festival and, as Greg explained,  are “excited to have the opportunity to present the film to wider audiences all over the world’.

News

€10,000 Kerry Film Bursary Awarded To ‘Haven’

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THE 2021 Kerry Short Film Bursary of €10,000 has been awarded to 3 Hot Whiskeys Productions for their short film “Haven”.

The film follows the interactions between an Irishfarming woman and a child newly arrived to Ireland as they become increasingly aware of each other.

This Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council & the Arts Council of Ireland to support and encourage filmmaking within the county.

The successful team consists of producer Hugh O’Donoghue from Killarney, director Mo O’Connell & writers, Rehan Ali & Ivan Cush.

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The panel were impressed by the strength of this application and its very current story. While it was the strongest application, the team were encouraged to further develop the script with experienced story consultant, Eilish Kent. The final draft was signed off in late July by the awarding panel.

Haven will go into production in Kerry this summer for delivery in 2021. Siobhan O’Sullivan, Kerry ETB Film Development Officer, is “delighted to see this timely film receive funding in the county” and will assist the team in finding locations and local crew.

The funders of the bursary, Kerry County Council in conjunction with the Arts Council of Ireland, are clear about itsimpact.

Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Jimmy Moloney, described how important it is “to showcase Kerry as a filmmaking location while encouraging emerging talent”.

Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer, agreed emphasising that the bursary “gives filmmakers the opportunity to establish their filmmaking voice while shooting in Kerry.”

Kerry College Monavalley, a centre of excellence for film skills training, will also provide support to the production. Con O’Sullivan, Manager Kerry College, recognises that “gaining film bursary funding is a great opportunity for those building their careers in the industry”.

In 2021 the focus was on a strong creative connection with Kerry. At least one of each application’s core creative team (Writer/Director/Producer) had to be from or living in Kerry.

Producer, Hugh O’Donoghue, is from Killarney and is “incredibly honoured to be chosen by Kerry County Council and Screen Kerry for this Bursary. I look forward to workingwith such a talented team on such a powerful project in my native county.”

Hugh has written, produced & directed a number of short films shot on location in Kerry.

Director, Mo (or ‘Maureen’) O’Connell has made several no-budget award-winning short films & a multi-award-winning no-budget slacker comedy feature film called, “SPA Weekend”.

Writer Rehan Ali moved to Ireland from Pakistan in 2005 & became fascinated with filmmaking, setting up a community-based amateur film production company in his early teens.

He has co-authored a book calling for an end to direct provision. Writer Ivan Cush’s recent short film, Silence, had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 and screened at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2021.

News

€10,000 Kerry Film Bursary 2020 Awarded

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SIOBHAN O’Sullivan, Kerry Film Officer with Kerry ETB, and Kate Kennelly, Kerry County Council Arts Officer, are delighted to announce that the Kerry Short Film Bursary 2020, worth €10,000 towards the production of a short film, has been awarded to Writer/ Director, Jean Pasley, & Producer, Greg Burrowes, for the project “Ship of Souls”.

This project was selected from a competitive field of sixty applications. “Ship of Souls” was previously shortlisted in Kerry in 2019 and benefitted from a script development award.

The screenplay is a fascinating look at the interplay of different cultures when a Japanese woman arrives in Kerry to grieve her deceased husband with his family.

Jean Pasley lived for many years in Japan and the inspiration for the short film “Ship of Souls” came from her fascination with ‘Obon’ the annual Buddhist festival of the dead that she witnessed there.

It is believed that each year during Obon, deceased spirits revisit this world in order to visit their relatives.

Traditionally, lanterns are hung outside houses, food offerings are made at altars and graves are visited before the spirits are ceremonially guided back to their own world.

Jean is an experienced writer and has directed two short films “Serial Numbers” and “To the Mountains”. She wrote, directed and co-produced the documentary “Ordinary Worries: The Bosnian Community in Ireland” and co-wrote the 2019 feature film “Dead Happy”.

Greg Burrowes is a producer based in Co. Clare. He has worked in the film industry for the past four years as a location sound recordist & has been producing content since 2016.

He has experience working in the corporate area where he has produced content for private companies and academic clients and is looking forward to branching out into the world of film production.

The Kerry Short Film Bursary, funded by Kerry County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland aims to develop the filmmaking sector in County Kerry.

In awarding the bursary, Arts Officer at Kerry County Council, Kate Kennelly focused on the importance of supporting film making in the county and noted that “Kerry is an ideal filmmaking location with a wealth of interesting locations and local filmmaking services available”.

CEO of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, emphasised that “supporting filmmakers who want to locate their productions in Kerry is something that Kerry County Council is keen to continue to do”.

Mayor of Kerry, Niall Kelliher, sees this bursary as “an integral part of building the film sector in the county” while Kerry Film Development Officer, Siobhan O’Sullivan is delighted to “see investment in the film sector in Kerry, something we need to further build on to fully exploit the huge potential for filmmaking that exists in the county.”

The Kerry Short Film Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council and The Arts Council and supported by Kerry ETB.

News

Filmmakers Can Apply For €10,000 Kerry Short Film Bursary

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THE Kerry Short Film Bursary for 2020 is now open for submissions with a fund of €10,000 available to the successful applicant towards the cost of their production.

The Bursary is funded through Kerry County Council with support from the Arts Council and is intended to foster talent, creativity and activity in filmmaking within the county.

This is a competitive award and applicants are advised to attend an Information Day on Thursday, March 26th (11am – 5pm) in the Anam Centre in Killarney.

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This day will provide information on how best to complete your application form, including advice on script development. Pre-register with filmkerry@kerryetb.ie by Thursday, March 19th to confirm your spot.

Kerry ETB Film Development Officer, Siobhan O’Sullivan outlined “the importance of funds such as this to develop the industry within the county” while Kerry County Council Arts Officer, Kate Kennelly, described these funds as “an important way to encourage & support filmmaking talent”.

Applicants should have some experience in filmmaking and be able to prove that a director and/or a producer has seen the script and has a sense of its suitability to go into production.

“Film in Kerry is growing industry. This bursary, funded by Kerry County Council and the Arts Council, helps to support filmmakers whilst promoting Kerry as a location for film,” stated Moira Murrell, CE at Kerry County Council.

Guidelines & application forms can be accessed online at http://www.kerrycoco.ie/home3/kerry-film-bursary/

Applicants must shoot on location in Kerry but do not have to be from Kerry to apply.  The Kerry Film Office, which is based in Kerry ETB Tralee, will offer location support and guidance as requested, especially in relation to accessing locations and local resources.

There is a two-stage selection process in the open competition. Stage one involves a shortlisting from applications received, while stage two requires an interview in Kerry.  The closing date for receipt of applications is set at 5pm on Friday 10th April.

Entertainment, News

Tristan And Ronan Awarded Kerry Short Film Bursary 2019

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KERRY County Council’s Short Film Bursary 2019, has been awarded to Writer/Director Tristan Heanue and Producer Ronan Cassidy of “Carbonated Comet Productions”.

From a competitive field of sixty submissions, their project,“ Harmless”, was selected as the frontrunner.

The film deals with the interactions between an isolated older man living in rural Kerry and a group of joyriders in the area.

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Tristan describes how he wrote ‘Harmless’ after a trip home a couple of years ago. “I began to notice the amount of boy racers driving around the area at night and all the rubber burnt into the roads. I wanted to look at the problem through the eyes of an older character, someone who this world is alien to and who was struggling with issues of his own. At its core it’s a story about two different generations and the inability of each to understand the other until they inevitably collide”.

In 2014, Writer/Director Tristan Heanue’s debut short film, “In This Place” premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh & established him as a screenwriting talent.

The following year his first outing as a director won the Best First Short Drama for “Today” in Galway. In 2017 Heanue went on to write, direct & act in the short “A Break in the Clouds”.

In 2018 he won the Dingle Film Festival Físín pitching competition with “Ciúnas” which will premiere at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, where he has been nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent award 2019.

Ronan Cassidy of Carbonated Comet Productions produced the Screen Ireland funded documentary ‘The Vasectomy Doctor’, directed by Paul Webster.

This premiered at the Cork Film Festival 2018, received the Audience Choice Award for Best Short at the Dingle International Film Festival 2019, and was nominated for Best Irish Short at the Fastnet Film Festival 2019.

Ronan also produced ‘Everything Looks Better In The Sunshine’, directed by Mark Smyth and Jonathan Farrelly, for the Limerick City and County Council Film Bursary Scheme, which is currently in post-production.

In awarding the bursary, Arts Officer at Kerry County Council, Kate Kennelly focused on the importance of supporting film making in the county and noted that “Kerry offers huge choice in terms of great film locations throughout the county”.

CEO of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, emphasised that “supporting emerging film makers with potential and talent who want to shoot in Kerry is something that Kerry County Council is keen to do”.

The Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council and The Arts Council and supported by Kerry ETB.

Mayor of Tralee, Jim Finucane, sees the bursary as “an integral part of building the film sector in the county” while Kerry Film Development Officer, Siobhan O’Sullivan, was delighted that for the first year Kerry, a county steeped in writing talent, has awarded the shortlisted finalists script mentoring sessions to further develop their films.

Grace O’Donnell, chair of the Kerry International Film Festival is “excited to incorporate a workshop on this essential element of filmmaking during the Festival later this year”.

 

Entertainment, News

First Kerry Film Bursary Awarded To Aid Shooting Of Film In West Kerry

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Hazel Cullen and Megan K Fox, winners of the first Kerry Film Bursary.

KERRY County Council’s Film Bursary, the first of its kind in Kerry, has been awarded to writer/director Megan K. Fox and producer Hazel Cullen.

Out of 80 submissions, the panel selected Megan and Hazel’s short film entitled Cailín Álainn.

The film follows a teenager’s personal story of discovery and strength in the face of adversity. It will feature a summer stay at Irish College and will be shot on the Dingle Peninsula.

In awarding the bursary the Arts Officer at Kerry County Council Kate Kennelly mentioned the importance of supporting film making in the county.

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“Kerry is a wonderful place to shoot a film and offers tremendous choice in terms of locations right across both our built and natural landscape. Supporting young film makers who want to shoot in Kerry and who have the potential and the talent, this is something that Kerry County Council is keen to nurture”.   The Bursary is funded by Kerry County Council and The Arts Council.

Megan K. Fox has written the script for Cailín Álainn and will also direct the film. Megan is an award-winning Writer/Director whose short film work has earned over a dozen accolades and high profile nominations, including Best Director Under 25 at BAFTA qualifying Underwire Festival, winning the WFTV Lifetime Shorts Competition, Shooting People’s Film of the Month and nominations for the Young Directors Awards Ireland and Kinsale Sharks.

Her latest short film The Shift has just won Best Cork Short at the Cork Film Festival in November this year. She is currently living in Dublin and developing her debut feature film script.

Hazel Cullen is a freelance producer from Co. Wicklow, working in Ireland and the UK. Her previous projects include Screen Ireland (SI) funded Time Traveller with Forty Foot Pictures, SI funded Honest with TW Films, and Smother for Revolution Films and RTE.

“While the story of Cailín Álainn is that of an under-represented minority experience, it’ll resonate with anyone who has ever felt unsure of themselves and who they are. Which, I think, is most of us!”, Hazel Cullen, the producer stated on receiving the Film Bursary from Kerry County Council.

Megan K. Fox went on to say that “the placing of the story in the beautiful setting of the Dingle Peninsula will lend a certain poetry to this story about a teen discovering their own nature and realising they too can be beautiful”. The film is set to preview at Kerry Film Festival in October 2019 and will be shot next summer in West Kerry. A film to look forward to for sure.