ENGINE Docs, Film in Limerick’s documentary film training scheme for emerging film talent in the region have announced the four winning teams.
The Innovate Limerick scheme supported by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and delivered in partnership with the prestigious Sheffield DocFest in England, delivered a three month training programme that culminated with the 12 selected teams pitching their projects to an industry panel.
The panel consisting of Katie Metcalfe, Shorts Programmer at Sundance Film Festival, Derren Lawford, Creative Director at Woodcut Media and Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, Commissioning Editor, TG4, heard pitches from the 12 teams online.
The four commissioned teams will now receive €10,000 in funding each, as well as further training and support to produce their documentary projects in the Mid-West.
Commenting on the pitch event, Regional Film Manager, Paul C. Ryan said: “The standard of the projects that was pitched was just incredible. We have so much documentary film talent in the region and it’s great to see the 12 teams progress their ideas and skills on the training lab with the guidance of Sheffield Doc Fest and all the superb tutors we have had over the past few months. We look forward to seeing the commissioned films playing at festivals internationally and firmly putting Mid-West documentary talent on the map.”
The four commissioned projects and teams are:
Focal Nua - Director: Andrew Keogh, Producer: Muireann de Barra
The story of Ireland’s two full-time terminologists, whose job with the help of a 23-member voluntary expert committee, is to create hundreds of new Irish words and phrases each month.
Life on the Bridge - Director: Marian Morrissey
Capturing the lives and memories of traveller families living for over 40 years at Cabragh Bridge.
Liscannor Flagstone - Director: James Skerritt, Producer: Pete Moles
A visual journey showcasing this unique rock that is quarried on the side of some of the biggest cliffs in Europe and that has created the aesthetic of a small rural town in the west of Ireland.
Vonnie: Limerick's Forgotten Fashion Icon - Director: Renata Lima, Producer: Melissa Collins
Three sisters recall the life and legacy of their mother, the late Limerick fashion designer Vonnie Reynolds, who dressed Irish and American high societies in the 1970s and 1980s.
Commissioned teams will now receive further industry training as they prepare for production. Filming will begin this month and completed films will be delivered by the end of the year for distribution to film festivals internationally.
The Engine Docs initiative is run by Innovate Limerick through Film in Limerick, with support from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and delivered with Sheffield Doc Fest.
The training scheme aims to inspire and support documentary directors and producers to create inspiring, engaging world-class documentaries that reach a wide international audience.