Jesse GilbertKERRY County Council and Creative Ireland Kerry have welcomed back Jesse Gilbert as Kerry Filmmaker in Residence 2026.
The Filmmaker in Residence has been an integral part of the Arts Service/Creative Ireland Kerry programme delivered by Kerry County Council for several years.
“The demand from young people to explore creativity through film is large,” advised Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer & Creative Ireland Coordinator at Kerry County Council.
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Furthermore, “the enthusiasm of those engaging with his residency is evident, and the work created is inspiring”. This year’s residency is funded through the Creative Ireland Kerry programme.
Jesse will continue his programme of delivering workshops for schools, community groups and youth film clubs.
Highlights from last year’s residency include the Poetry – Films initiative, during which 5 community groups created films from poems they had developed with writer-in-residence Emer Fallon.
These films screened at a dedicated Culture Night event at Siamsa Tíre.
This year Jesse is looking to focus on documentary filmmaking. He will be working with several Women’s groups countywide to produce a series of documentary films centred on the importance of community.
Providing a filmmaking outlet for the youth of Kerry has always been a key element to Jesse’s work, and he is available for school workshops with transition year groups.
He will also continue facilitating the Killarney-based filmmaking club SONAR, which has recently acquired its first dedicated film camera (thanks to the kind support of the Kerry ETB). SONAR’s films have won awards at national youth film competitions and offer great opportunities for young people looking to pursue filmmaking.
As always, Jesse is available to individuals looking for advice and information about filmmaking and can be contacted at jgilbertfilm@gmail.com.
