Date: 18th April 2023
Time: Doors at 19:30
Location: Wexford Arts Centre
Cost: €5
Tickets on sale here
Screen Wexford and The Picture House – Wexford Film Society are excited to present the Documentary film North Circular – A musical trip through inner city Dublin and a Q&A with its Director Luke McManus.
North Circular is a multiple award-winning documentary musical travelling the length of Dublin’s fabled North Circular Road, where local characters share their powerful and emotive stories, accompanied by traditional ballads and folk music that help to tell these stories. North Circular conjures the ghosts of the past while engaging with the conflicts and celebrations of today, with a little bit of Dublin humour thrown in.
North Circular is a documentary musical that travels the length of Dublin’s North Circular Road, from the Phoenix Park to Dublin Port, exploring the history, music and streetscapes of a street that links some of the country’s most beloved and infamous
places.
Told in black and white 4:3 Academy ratio, the film evokes many narratives from the history of the city and nation, from colonialism, to mental health, to the struggle for women’s liberation while also engaging with urgent issues of today, including the battle to save the legendary Cobblestone Pub, centre of Dublin’s recent folk revival, from destruction at the hands of cynical property developers. The film also includes musical performances from artists local to the North Circular, including John Francis Flynn, Séan Ó Túama, Eoghan O’Ceannabháin, Ian Lynch & Gemma Dunleavy.
After the film we will be joined by Director Luke McManus for a Q&A. Luke McManus is an Irish director and producer. He has directed numerous award-winning documentary and drama projects for NBC, Netflix, RTE, TG4, Virgin Media TV, TV3, Al Jazeera, the Irish Film Board and Channel 4, winning four IFTAs, one Celtic Media Award and the Radharc Award in the process. Directing credits include North Circular, Jump Girls, I Am Immigrant, Crainn na hEireann, Jump Boys, Arkle, Making a Museum, Dermot Bannon & The Big Build
and Féile Dreams.
Date: Friday 10th March 2023
Time: 10 AM-4pm
Location: The Presentation Arts Centre Enniscorthy
Cost: Free
Apply Now: Applications closed
Screen Wexford is delighted to invite cinematographer Tommy Fitzgerald to deliver an introduction to the role of Camera Assistant. This intensive one-day workshop will give those interested in working in the camera department an insight into what is entailed.
This workshop will give you an overview of the hierarchy of a camera crew, learn tips & tricks along with set etiquette and what your role would entail as a camera trainee. The workshop will aim to give a broad overview of the camera department and help equip new entrants with the knowledge and some of the essential skills to working on set.
What is a camera trainee?
Camera trainees work with all members of the camera crew, but they usually work most closely with the second assistant camera (second AC) or clapper loader.
They help prepare the kit at the beginning of the job and may be involved with camera and lens tests. They might mark actors’ positions during rehearsals and keep records, camera logs and other paperwork ready for the edit.
They help set up the monitors, cables and wireless. If there isn’t a dedicated monitor operator, it becomes the role of the trainee. Experienced trainees may also be asked to take on the responsibility of using the clapperboard, changing camera batteries and helping the focus puller (first AC).
The scope of the job changes depending on the size of the production. They might start out making tea and coffee and getting the sides (printouts of the scenes to be shot that day) from the production office to the camera department. On bigger productions, they might help with the second unit camera, a camera set up to do secondary shoots while the main action is taking place elsewhere.
Apply Now: Applications closed
Friday 31st March
10 AM-12 pm
St.Michael’s Theatre – New Ross
Free Networking
This event is for creators to meet, support one another and catch up on what’s going on in the film industry.
The networking event is open to anyone interested in and/or currently working in video, gaming, social media, film and TV or any Screen related industries. This will include writers, directors, producers, creators and crew from all departments. This event is an opportunity for local filmmakers and talent in the South East to meet and network while hearing from Screen Wexford on upcoming training, opportunities, and initiatives.
Screen Wexford is a Wexford County Council initiative supported by Arts and Economic Development Departments. We aim to advance the film industry in Wexford by facilitating indigenous and international Film & TV production while supporting training initiatives that develop and grow our film community.
Networking Friday, March 31st, 2023
Date: 23rd March 2023
Time: 10:30AM-4:30pm
Location: The John F. Kennedy Arboretum, New Ross, Co. Wexford.
Cost: Free – Purchase of inshot editing phone app required – Cost approximately €10
Apply Now: Closed
Screen Wexford and Wexford filmmaker Therese Dalton will present a one-day ‘Introduction to Video’ workshop.
This workshop will focus on creating shooting and editing workflows on your phone.
It will aim to give you an understanding of the basics of video production including planning, filming and editing.
The world of video production can seem a little overwhelming at first, but our workshop will help you to become familiar with the world of video production can seem a little overwhelming at first, but our workshop will help you to become familiar with the three main stages involved in creating video content. Whether you are creating a short film, documentary or promotional video for your business. Most videos follow the same steps and our goal will be to give you an understanding of how to create videos of your own using traditional tools such as a camera and laptop or your smartphone.h the three main stages involved in creating video content.
Whether you are creating a short film, documentary or promotional video for your business. Most videos follow the same steps and our goal will be to give you an understanding of how to create videos of your own using your smartphone.
The workshop will focus on using your phone as a tool to create videos. The editing will be completed with the InShot app. InShot is a powerful video editing app that lets you merge clips or add filters, effects, and music to create beautiful, shareable videos on your phone.
We will cover:
- Pre-Production: The planning stage. How can you best prepare to shoot your video?
- Production: Shooting your video. What do you need to know about camera, lighting, and audio equipment to best execute your vision? How to get the best results out of your smartphone using everyday items.
- Post-Production: Editing your video. How do you put all the final pieces together to present your final video? Learn about editing software available on your phone/tablet and how to use it to create an engaging film.
Over the course of our Introduction to Video workshop, we will give you an overview of each of these stages helping you understand how to approach creating videos of your own. This workshop will be run by Wexford filmmaker Therese Dalton who facilitates a range of video-based educational training including the Wexford Youth Film programme. Therese will walk participants through the fundamentals of filmmaking and the editing process to create engaging short films.
Screen Wexford is an initiative of Wexford County Council’s Arts and Economic Development departments, the aim of which is to support the development of the ever-growing Film and AV sector.
Screen Wexford is committed to providing training, funding opportunities and mentorships for new and emerging filmmakers as well as growing a diverse regional pool of creative talent and crew. The aim is to provide opportunities within the industry for those who at present may feel precluded from a career within the sector and to nurture a diverse range of talent from all backgrounds and an inclusive and evolving screen industries workforce.
This workshop is Free
Apply Now: Closed
Cost: Free
Date: 17th February
Location: Presentation Arts Centre
Spaces: 8
Screen Wexford presents an Acting for Camera workshop.
Working with, filmmaker and writer Fintan Kelly, we will prepare and work on dialogue and scenes from a range of television/films to give the participants a sense of what the experience is like of working with cameras.
You will be taught etiquette on the set, how to warm up your body and voice, and how to bring scripts to life on screen through basic script and scene analysis. You will shoot a scene with the tutor who will share knowledge on hitting marks, shot sizes, continuity and eye lines.
Overview:
- – Explore preparation exercises with a focus on developing imagination and creating believable performances
- – Develop an understanding of the technical aspects of shooting a scene and how this affects performance
- – Build an understanding around the specific equipment and function
- – Rehearse and preform scenes on camera
- – Workshop blocking and shooting scenes
Applications closed
Fethard January 2023
This workshop was designed to bring participants on a fast track journey through video production.
Overview:
This two-day workshop was designed to teach how to film a short documentary or corporate video project by observation and participation. Over the course of our two days, we worked with participants to shoot and edit a short documentary about the local RNLI. The workshop was run as a partnership between Screen Wexford and Crannog Media.



The workshop was delivered over two days. The first day was dedicated to filming processes and the second day was focused on post-production and editing.
Filming Session:
Working with the participants we created an interview set-up in the Hook Community Centre. We created an interview set-up with a Sony FS7 and brought the team through a 3-point lighting set-up and detailed interview techniques. Once we completed the interview the team moved to the Fethard RNLI base where we created a series of sequences to showcase the process of how to build a visual story to support and interview. The goal was to focus on observance and witnessing the filming process to provide great context for the post-production process. Throughout this process we had a 5 cameras available along with sliders and gimbals to give the team an opportunity to shoot footage and learn about cameras, framing and building sequences.
Editing Session:
All participants brought their own laptops and ran Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve to edit this project. During the course of the editing process we walked them through a basic introduction of how you edit and manage your footage. Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve is a free professional editing software you can download and try for Free. Link here. There are also loads of free tutorials on youtube. Link here
Once the session was complete we finished an edit which has been provided to the RNLI and will be posted here once its is complete.



EDITOR OF GAZA, MARLOWE & NOTHING COMPARES
Screen Wexford is excited to announce an upcoming workshop with renowned film & TV editor Mick Mahon. Mick has been at the forefront of editing in Ireland over the past twenty years, with a particular focus on documentaries.

He has edited a host of award winning films, and his work has been screened at festivals worldwide. He is a two time IFTA winner, in 2015 for the feature documentary Rough Rider and in 2020 for Gaza, which was Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature at the 2020 Academy Awards. Other credits include I, Dolours, The Queen of Ireland, Breaking Out and Love Yourself Today. His recent work includes Marlowe, Neil Jordan’s new feature film and Nothing Compares with Kathryn Ferguson, a feature documentary about Sinéad O’Connor which was released recently to critical acclaim.
Nothing Compares will be used as a case study for Mick’s guest lecture.
Details
Date: Saturday 4th Feb 2023
Time: 2pm – 3pm GMT
REGISTER HERE:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-Pu-fRKTaSrPT_hB1HC4Q
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Webinar Speakers
Mick Mahon (Editor & Guest Speaker )
Mick Mahon has edited a host of award winning films, and his work has been screened at festivals worldwide. He is a two time IFTA winner, in 2015 for the feature documentary Rough Rider and in 2020 for Gaza, which was Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature at the 2020 Academy Awards. Other credits include I, Dolours, The Queen of Ireland, Breaking Out and Love Yourself Today. His recent work includes Marlowe, Neil Jordan’s new feature film and Nothing Compares with Kathryn Ferguson, a feature documentary about Sinéad O’Connor which was released recently to critical acclaim.
Dr. Ciara Chambers (Masterclass Host & Head of Film & Screen Media @UCC)
Dr Ciara Chambers is author of Ireland in the Newsreels (Irish Academic Press, 2012) and co-editor of Researching Newsreels (Palgrave, 2018) and has contributed chapters on newsreels and amateur film to various journals and edited collections. She is a member of the International Association for Media and History’s council and the Irish Screen Studies board and is associate editor for the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television and a member of the editorial teams of Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media and Estudios Irlandeses. She has worked on a range of archival projects and digitization initiatives with the Irish Film Archive, Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast Exposed Photography, UTV, BBC, and the British Universities Film and Video Council. She was scriptwriter and associate producer of Ireland in the Newsreels, a six-part television series broadcast on TG4.
IFI / BBC / BFI & Northern Ireland Screen archive is accessed through The Make Film History research/project which was funded by UKRI-AHRC and the Irish Research Council under the ‘UK-Ireland Collaboration in the Digital Humanities Networking Call’ (grant numbers AH/V002066/1 and IRC/V002066/1).

Friday 24th February
10 AM-12 pm
Festival Room, The National Opera House
Free Networking
This event is for creators to meet, support one another and catch up on what’s going on in the film industry.
The networking event is open to anyone interested in and/or currently working in video, gaming, social media, film and TV or any Screen related industries. This will include writers, directors, producers, creators and crew from all departments. This event is an opportunity for local filmmakers and talent in the South East to meet and network while hearing from Screen Wexford on upcoming training, opportunities, and initiatives.
Screen Wexford is a Wexford County Council initiative supported by Arts and Economic Development Departments. We aim to advance the film industry in Wexford by facilitating indigenous and international Film & TV production while supporting training initiatives that develop and grow our film community.
Networking Friday, Feb 24th, 2023
REMIXING THE ARCHIVE IS BACK THIS YEAR FOLLOWING ON FROM OUR FIRST SUCCESSFUL EDITION IN 2021.
Funded by Screen Ireland, Screen Wexford, Wexford County Council and the Make Film History project and taking place in the Gorey School of Art and online, this workshop is a wonderful opportunity for ambitious early stage career filmmakers and artists working with the moving image to engage imaginatively with the enormous untapped potential of archive film, and to learn to integrate it into their films.
10 aspiring / early stage filmmakers will work with remarkable footage from celebrated Irish and UK film archives from the BBC, the Irish Film Institute (IFI), Northern Ireland Screen, the British Film Institute (BFI) and local archive through the Make Film History project. Participants will respond by making a short 1-3 minute self-reflexive film in response.
The workshop element will run over three days (4th Feb @ Gorey School of Art, 5th & 10th Feb Online) and will be led by Linda Curtin, facilitated by Irina Maldea & Brendan Culleton of Akajava Films with guest speaker Mick Mahon, all of whom work with archives in their artistic/filmmaking practice. The mentors will help the workshop participants to develop their filmmaking skills through working on a new archive-inspired piece, which will be presented at a special screening event late 2023.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
– The Make Film History project
– Accessing archive: copyright & legal implications
– Methods and methodologies of using archive
– Ethical considerations
– Remixology in popular culture
– Case studies of Irish films that contain archive (Congo, an Irish Affair & Nothing Compares)
– Archive and art film
– How to make a film using archive
LOCAL ARCHIVE

The Peggy Walsh estate is kindly donating local Wexford footage for this year’s edition of Remixing the Archive.
Born in 1922, Margaret ‘Peggy’ Walsh was an amateur filmmaker who observed and documented her life and times in Co. Wexford and further afield in the 1950s and 60s. She also found time to be a housewife and mother to nine children.
Before her death in Dec 2021, her film legacy was discovered in the form of a rich archive of beautiful Kodachrome films of subjects ranging from Irish rural life to John F. Kennedy’s historic visit to Wexford in 1963, just five months before his assassination. This particular footage now resides with the Kennedy Book and Research Archive in New Ross and the footage we will make available on the workshop has never before been seen beyond the Walsh family.
In 2022, Screen Wexford honoured Peggy by creating The Peggy Walsh Award for Female Camera Talent in Wexford.
Peggy’s daughter Ann Larkin who holds the archive, said ‘I am incredibly excited to keep my mothers memory alive through the use of her archive and hope that it will inspire new stories for local and national filmmakers who do the programme‘.
GUEST SPEAKER: Mick Mahon, Editor

Mick Mahon has been at the forefront of editing in Ireland over the past twenty years, with a particular focus on documentary.
He has edited a host of award winning films, and his work has been screened at festivals worldwide. He is a two time IFTA winner, in 2015 for the feature documentary Rough Rider and in 2020 for Gaza, which was Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature at the 2020 Academy Awards. Other credits include I, Dolours, The Queen of Ireland, Breaking Out and Love Yourself Today. His recent work includes Marlowe, Neil Jordan’s new feature film and Nothing Compares with Kathryn Ferguson, a feature documentary about Sinéad O’Connor which was released recently to critical acclaim.
Nothing Compares will be used as a case study for Mick’s guest lecture.
WORKSHOP DATES:
Saturday 4th February @ Gorey School of Art / Time: 10am – 430pm (in-person attendance mandatory)
Sunday 5th February Online / Time: 10am – 430pm
Optional mentor session / technical assistance on Wednesday evening 8th February
Friday 10th Online / Time: 7pm – 9pm (screening)
TO APPLY:
Click here or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://99yd018aio7.typeform.com/to/hAoKq9rw
PLEASE INCLUDE:
– a brief bio noting any previous production experience
– a short response (no more than 300 words) to one of the films listed on the Make Film History website, suggesting how you might creatively respond to it. We would like to have an indication of how your voice, style and vision can offer a fresh and original perspective on your chosen film and theme.
– if you wish to send samples of previous work, in any medium, you may do so, but this is absolutely not a requirement.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday 23rd January 2023 @ 5pm.
Applicants will be notified by Wednesday 25th January.
This workshop is free to participants and is funded by Screen Wexford, Screen Ireland, Wexford County Council & Make Film History and is free to participants.
Please note that this call for proposals is intended for early to mid-career filmmakers.
IFI / BBC / BFI & Northern Ireland Screen archive is accessed through The Make Film History research/project which was funded by UKRI-AHRC and the Irish Research Council under the ‘UK-Ireland Collaboration in the Digital Humanities Networking Call’ (grant numbers AH/V002066/1 and IRC/V002066/1).

Monday 30th January
10 AM-12 pm
The Hatch Lab – Gorey
Free Networking
This event is for creators to meet, support one another and catch up on what’s going on in the film industry.
The networking event is open to anyone interested in and/or currently working in video, gaming, social media, film and TV or any Screen related industries. This will include writers, directors, producers, creators and crew from all departments. This event is an opportunity for local filmmakers and talent in the South East to meet and network while hearing from Screen Wexford on upcoming training, opportunities, and initiatives.
Screen Wexford is a Wexford County Council initiative supported by Arts and Economic Development Departments. We aim to advance the film industry in Wexford by facilitating indigenous and international Film & TV production while supporting training initiatives that develop and grow our film community.
Networking Monday, Jan 30th, 2023
Screen Wexford worked with the team from The Frederick Douglass Civil Rights Festival Wexford to deliver the Activist Media Lab on the 11th of November 2022. This one-day workshop was structured to help activists to learn to structure a script, shoot scenes, shape an edit, champion a cause and in the words of Frederick Douglass ‘Agitate, Agitate, Agitate’. This is the film we create on the day of the workshop.
On December 10th, Enniscorthy held the Screen Wexford Wexford Filmmaker Showcase. The showcase was hosted in two locations, The Bailey Pub & Cafe and The Presentation Arts Centre. A total of 50 films were shown, which were all produced by Wexford filmmakers.
The event also included a speed networking session, facilitated by Emilia Krysztofiak, to help foster connections within the film community.
Al Butler, the Coordinator for Screen Wexford said “We are delighted with the outcome of the event. For Screen Wexford these opportunities to connect with filmmakers are essential to building a community. It’s very exciting to have so many submissions and the range of films really highlight the quality of talent working in Wexford today. We hope that this will be the beginning of a new format to showcase filmmakers in the county.’


A wide range of filmmakers from throughout the county attended the event to see their films and to support their peers. Documentary Filmmaker Anna Konieczna said ‘Events like these are crucial, not only because they allow filmmakers to show their work and share it with others but they also strengthen the self-confidence and belief that because their creative effort was noticed and appreciated, it matters.’
Screen Wexford’s hope for this event was to give filmmakers an opportunity to meet like minded creators and to bring the community together. Wexford based filmmaker Terence White said ‘The Made in Wexford event was a fantastic opportunity to screen your own work, to see the work of other filmmakers, and to network with other creative people living in the county.’
The event was supported in its production by a group of local filmmakers including Michael Duggan and Michael Benson. When speaking about the importance of events like these award winning Wexford based cinematographer Michael Benson said ‘Events such as this are hugely important given that they provide a platform for filmmakers to show their works. But perhaps even more than this it recognises that the art of filmmaking itself is an ever evolving process for those involved, and as such it both values and celebrates film makers at every point along that journey, something that could be argued is almost unique to this event’
When speaking about the event Writer and Director Sean O’Deadaigh said ‘It was a pleasure to attend the Screen Wexford showscreen event on Saturday. A full day of locally made films covering all types and genres. From the quirky to the thought provoking. Funny , informative and innovative, there was something for everybody in the six skilfully selected programmes. All films are made to be screened and we were delighted to have two chosen. Events like this are invaluable to anybody with an interest in film. It was uplifting to see so many young people attend and it bodes well for the expanding Wexford film industry. For me personally it was an unmissable opportunity to network with local talent and see their creativity on the big screen. Both venues were excellent for this. It was great also to tap into the bush telegraph with some old friends and exchange ideas and possibilities for future films.’
Is the future of film on the Island of Ireland decentralised? On Thursday 1st December, WFT Ireland in partnership with Wexford Screen Writers Academy and with the support of BAI presented Producing Beyond the Pale. This lively industry discussion took place in the National Opera House, Wexford.
Panelists:
Ivan Dunleavy – Co Founder of Tara Studios
A career spent in in senior leadership roles in the film, video and music industries in both publicly quoted and private companies in the UK and internationally. CEO of Pinewood Studios Group for over 18 years and the co-founder of Tara Studios in Wexford.
Ann Mulrooney – Studio Manager
Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA® and Emmy nominated animation studio founded by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. From award-winning shorts to feature films and TV series, Cartoon Saloon has carved a special place in the international Animation industry. Based in Kilkenny, Ireland the studio has a crew of over 200 artists and technicians in production and project development. Cartoon Saloon is the founder and host of Kilkenny Animated, an annual festival of visual storytelling incorporating exhibitions, talks and performances celebrating the creativity of the animation craft. In 2010 the studio’s first feature film, The Secret of Kells, was nominated for an Academy Award® and again in 2015 with Tomm Moore’s follow up feature, Song of the Sea, Song of the Sea was also the first animated feature to win Best Picture at the Irish IFTA Academy awards. Directed by Nora Twomey, Golden Globe® and Academy Award® nominated The Breadwinner was released in November 2017 to huge critical acclaim. The studio had its first short film Academy Award® nomination in 2019 with Late Afternoon, written and directed by Louise Bagnall and produced by Nuria Blanco. Most recently in 2021, Wolfwalkers, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart was also Golden Globe®, Academy Award® and BAFTA® nominated. Cartoon Saloon’s series like pre-school series Puffin Rock and comedies Skunk Fu and Dorg Van Dango are currently being broadcast around the world and upcoming series Viking Skool, pre-school series Silly Sundays and a Puffin Rock feature film are among the other projects in production at the studio. The film’s most recent major animated feature production My Father’s Dragon directed by Nora Twomey, was released globally on Netflix on November 11th. Cartoon Saloon’s Studio Manager Ann Mulrooney has worked widely across the creative and cultural sector for over 25 years, including as an artist, curator, producer, programmer and director. She has directed significant cultural institutions including the National Craft and Design Gallery, the VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art and the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, before returning to her native Kilkenny three years ago to take up her current role, with a specific interest in the studio’s engagement and sustainability planning.
Roisin Keown – CEO and Creative Director The Brill Building
Roisin Keown is one of Ireland’s most awarded advertising creatives. In 2019 she founded her own creative-led creative agency The Brill Building, where she serves as CEO and Executive Creative Director, now recognized as Ireland’s most awarded new creative agency, winning Gold at ICADS, EFFIES, AIMS, PRII and Grand Prix at APMC and Europe’s IMC for the The Shop That Nearly Wasn’t, the first shop 100% stocked and staffed by cancer survivors. Roisin has co-directed and produced for The Brill Building in-house productions on campaigns for Breakthrough Cancer Research, Marie Keating Foundation and Riskeye. Screenwriter of the ‘The News’, the short film about lung cancer for the Marie Keating Foundation, she also serves as Creative Producer of The Paddy Irishman Project, the fine art photography and videography project about Irish identity.
Marissa Aroy – Producer and Director
Marissa Aroy is a documentary producer and director. She received an Emmy award for her PBS documentary “Sikhs in America.” Aroy, a Fulbright Scholar, was the recipient of the first ever Hatsuye Yamasaki Award for Visionary Leadership from the College of William and Mary in the US. Until recently she was teaching filmmaking classes at Trinity College Dublin and The New School in New York. She is currently the editorial director of Future Rising, a climate change initiative run by the organization Girl Rising. For 10 years she was deputy director of Irish Screen America, a screening series and film festival of Irish films in New York and Los Angeles. And before that worked for 7 years on the San Francisco Irish Film Festival. She sits on the board of Women in Film and Television, Ireland and has been living in Ireland for the past three years with her husband and filmmaking partner Niall McKay. Together they are working on a historical documentary on the Philippine American War.
Robert Higgins – Producer and Director
Robert Higgins is an award-winning producer director, writer and co-founder of Harp Media. He recently co-wrote and directed his debut feature film ‘Lakelands’ which stars Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People, Vivarium), Danielle Galligan (Netflix’s Shadow and Bone), Lorcan Cranitch (Bloodlands, The Dig), Dafhyd Flynn (Michael Inside), Dara Devaney (Arracht), and Gary Lydon (Calvary). It won the Bankside Award at the Galway Film Fleadh for best marketplace project and has been acquired for UK and Ireland release by Wildcard Distribution. It won Best Irish Film at Galway Film Fleadh and Kerry Film Festival. His second short film ‘Drifting’ starring Paul Mescal (Normal People) and Dafhyd Flynn (Michael Inside). The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh and has been picked up for worldwide distribution by Network Ireland Television. His first short film ‘Angels Guard Thee’ starred Brian Fortune (Game of Thrones) and John Quinn (Love/Hate) and premiered at the Cork Film Festival in 2018. It was broadcast on RTÉ in 2019. He was a participant on Screen Skills Ireland’s Advanced Producers programme. He is represented by Curtis Brown Talent. Harp Media was awarded runner-up in the Best Idea category of the Longford final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur in 2018 and Best Start-up category in 2019. Harp Media has received funding from bodies such as Screen Ireland, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Creative Ireland, Arts Council and Longford Arts Office
Moderator:
Fiona Kinsella – Head of Production Tile Media.
Wexford woman Fiona Kinsella is a Producer and Line Producer with over 25 years experience in the Irish and International Film and Television Industry. Her company Jumper Productions has produced branded content for the likes of Heineken, O2, Jameson, Renault and Skoda and provided production services for artists including Rihanna and One Direction. Alongside her branded work she has produced several highly acclaimed short films and more recently developed a slate of Feature Films and TV drama. In 2020 she joined Tile Media as Head of Production overseeing their slate of Feature Films and TV Series. She has also line produced feature films for Samson Films and Fantastic Films. From 2004 to 2006, she was Managing Director of Moonstone International, a development and training programme, for European Feature Film screenwriters and directors. A graduate of University College Cork. She has postgraduate diplomas from University College Dublin and TU Dublin. She is a Board Member of Women In Film and Television Ireland and was a founding committee member of the EDA Ireland. She is currently working with Laura Way and Paul Walker on the development and delivery of the Wexford Screenwriting Academy.
Wexford Screen Writers Academy is a Bodecii Film, Screen Wexford and Wexford County Council initiative funded by Creative Ireland which supports eight Wexford-based screenwriters in professional script development for a new commercial Anthology Series, titled Menapia. This event involves a public table read, showcasing selected scenes from all eight of the Wexford Screen Writer’s Anthology Series.
About Wexford Screen Writer’s Anthology Series
Menapia is an ambitious three phase TV production that combines training, career opportunities and employment for emerging regional creative talent and crew.
In phase one in 2021 which was funded by Creative Ireland, twelve new Wexford writers were selected for the inaugural Wexford Screenwriter’s Academy to create 12 original scripts for television broadcast through the unique Wexford Writers Scripting for Broadcast Academy programme. Building on the success of Phase One of the project, eight writers and their scripts from the original twelve were selected to move into Phase Two: professional script development for a commercial Anthology Series, titled Menapia. These eight writers have been professionally engaged to work with industry experts and series producers from their original screenplays – 8 uniquely dark and different tales firmly rooted in their hometown.
WEXFORD WRITER’S SCRIPTING FOR BROADCAST ACADEMY
SELECTED WRITERS
MARGARET HAWKINS
Margaret lives for the ‘inside smile’ of writing. A freelance journalist for 35 years she also works part-time as a press officer and magazine editor and has had poetry and short stories published and one-act plays staged.
From Tinahely in County Wicklow she lives on a farm in south Wexford where, as a writer, her instinct is always to give voice to those who don’t have one. Her first book Restless Spirit:The Story of Rose Quinn dealt with the asylum era in Ireland, her first novel Deny Me Not was about hidden children and the novel that she has just completed – a gripping rural mystery – is part homage to her home landscape of south Wicklow. As a journalist she has worked principally for the Irish Farmers Journal.
Writing for radio is a definite love of hers also and her essays have been broadcast on RTE 1’s Sunday Miscellany programme and included in two of its anthologies. She is an Ireland’s Own short story competition winner and was a finalist in RTE’s PJ O’Connor radio drama awards twice. She has also worked for South East Radio in Wexford as presenter, current affairs researcher and producer and was involved, for many years, with Wexford Arts Centre Theatre Group (WACTC).
Her documentary Forgotten People received funding and commendation from the BAI in 2000 and RTE Television made a documentary related to her first book for their Flesh & Blood series.
She enjoys the discipline of memoir writing, the humour and soul food of open mic performance and storytelling nights and has published a collection of poetry inspired by those experiences entitled Freewheeling Up The Hill.
She reached the shortlist in a Write By The Sea Festival competition in 2022 but her concentration at present is on developing her screenwriting skills.
FABIA EVANS
My lifelong love of cinema and continuous passion for writing led me to undertake a degree in Film and TV Production at Dun Laoghaire’s Institute of Art, Design and Technology. In my final year, I chose to major in Screenwriting, where I completed my first feature-length script. Since completing my degree, I was able to partake in Screen Wexford’s Scriptwriting for Broadcast Academy to further my skills. I have since been published in Wexford Women Writing Undercover magazine, and currently work as Script Assistant Editor for Fair City.
CHRISTIAN O’CONNOR
Christian O’Connor is a Wexford-based writer that is passionate about telling stories – if he’s not dreaming up a new idea or story to explore, he’s not happy. His work often explores what happens when ordinary people are pulled into extraordinary situations with a view to subverting typical genre expectations.
Writing and the creative expression that comes with it has been a hugely fulfilling part of his life for many years. Originally this desire to tell stories manifested itself as short prose which he achieved some success with when he was published in the ‘Young Emerging Writer’s and Artists’ magazine when he was sixteen.
As film was his first love though, he turned his attention to screenplays and has worked to develop it through various courses, collaborations and projects throughout the years. His screenplay ‘Kings’ finished as an Official Finalist in the 2018 Barcelona International Film Festival. Most recently, Christian was accepted on to the Wexford Writers Scripting for Broadcast Academy facilitated by Screen Wexford with Wexford County Council and mentored by Paul Walker and Laura Day. As part of this Academy he and seven other writers have been commissioned to write their standalone TV scripts as part of an overall anthology series.
EMMA QUIGLEY
Emma is a writer based in Wexford. Following a degree in Communications from DCU, Emma has worked in the digital sector for twenty years. In her spare time, she writes children’s books and scripts. Her first book, a comedy for pre-teens, was published in 2018 with Little Island Books. She’s recently completed her second book and is now onto writing her third, all comedies.
Emma renewed her interest in screenwriting in recent years. She was shortlisted with a co-writer for RTE’s Storyland in 2019 and had a children’s drama proposal shortlisted for Torino Lab 2019. She took part in the Nostos Screenwriting Retreat in Tuscany, Italy in the summer of 2019. The pilot script that she worked on during this retreat, a children’s comedy drama, was recently optioned with an Irish production company.
She is currently also trying her hand at writing a video game.
ROBERTO FORTE
Roberto Forte is an experienced videographer, film maker and writer based in County Wexford but works across Ireland and internationally. Roberto created Robot Wasp Media, a small production company in 2018 and since then has been engaged to create video content for companies such as Sports Ireland, Celtic Woman, The HSE and Riverdance. He is highly accomplished in all aspects of the pre-production, production and post-production parts of the film production process. He graduated from DBS college with a diploma in marketing and advertising in 1996, and recieved a Higher Diploma in Digital Media Design in 2018 from Carlow IT. He is a screen Ireland supported scriptwriter and has also written, produced and directed several short films for himself and local award winning filmmakers.
MAX O’BRIEN
The majority of my Max’s life has been split into two halves; a childhood largely spent abroad in Africa, and the latter half spent in Ireland, where he has been based out of Wexford.
Whilst relatively new to the Industry from a career perspective, film, writing and storytelling have all been a central part of his life for as long as he can remember.
Two years ago a global pandemic happened and he found himself in a similar position to many… asking himself “what is it i’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the time”. The answer was to write a screenplay.
Subsequently, one such script was used as his application to the inaugural Screen Broadcast Academy, his acceptance to which he views as the first of many falling dominoes that brought him to the present. Since that time, he has written an original script – scheduled for production – under the tutelage of Paul Walker, in association with The Academy, and also had two short films he wrote featured at the Rathmullen Film Festival 2022.
He is hopeful this is only the beginning… In the meantime, he hope those dominoes keep falling…
CONON MARTIN
Conor Martin, from Wexford, 36 years of age, aspires to be a filmmaker with a keen interest in writing original material. Graduated from Aberystwyth University, Wales, back in 2010. A degree was achieved in Film and TV. Returned home and had a working relationship with Highwind Media. Worked on several of their corporate projects in the lighting and camera department. He has written and directed two hip-hop videos for Irish rap artist Rob Kelly, the first one in 2015, Jack the Ripper II and most recently in 2018, Crimey. The former mentioned featured on a rap documentary, ‘The Origins of Irish Hip Hop’, which was produced by Red Bull and aired on RTE Television and Red Bull media platforms, this coupled with a string of unproduced short films written.
In 2016, he was selected for the Wexford County Council Writer’s Development Scheme headed by Irish filmmaker Laura Way (Red Rock, Eastenders, Blood & The Holiday) and tutored by Irish screenwriter Eugene O’ Brien (Pure Mule, Red
Rock, and Black ’47). In 2020, he was selected to take part in a masterclass workshop with Irish filmmaker, Dearbhla Walsh (Shameless, Netflix’s The Punisher, Fargo, Penny Dreadful, The Tudors). And then in 2021, he was selected to take part in the first Wexford Writers Scripting for Broadcast Academy, which saw Irish writer Paul Walker (Red Rock, Eastenders, Call the Midwife, Professionals) mentor local writers along with Irish Producer Fiona Kinsella (Jumper Productions) and Irish filmmaker Laura Way. He is currently working on a feature story with Irish writer/director Ian Power (The Clinic, The Runaway, The Guarantee, Roy, The Tattoo). The love of film for Conor took over in the mid nineties when he was treated to an array of genre films and from such an early age, from there on in imagination took over. It was terminal.
ABIGAIL WAY
A practitioner of professional Children’s Theatre for more than 20 years, in recent times Abigail has taken over the reigns as Creative Director at Red Moon Creative Arts Theatre – ‘explorers of the imagination’, following in the footsteps of Red Moon Founders, Irene and Michael Way, and devising, writing, producing and performing-in touring original Theatre-in-Education comedy-dramas and programmes as well as delivering Educational Drama classes, creative arts workshops and camps, children’s entertainment activities and specially commissioned theatre pieces within the Primary Education system.
A staunch advocate for the extension of childhood through the arts and the opening out of the creative arts to young people who may not traditionally have an opportunity to experience or express in an accepting and encouraging context, Abigail is heartened to see drama practices and methodologies becoming more mainstream in the Irish education system, to the great benefit of many children throughout the country.
Abigail’s background in children’s theatre and roots in country life, not to mention countless hours enveloped in the wonders of her parent’s inspired ‘Theatre Workshop’, (a busy and valued hub of theatrical and artistic innovation in Wexford Town for many years), continues to inform her writing, be it for stage or screen, for young people or an adult audience.
Drawing on the notion of ‘everyday magic’, a concept she was fortunate enough to experience often in the ever-transforming theatre spaces and endlessly intriguing wardrobe department of that determinative creative environment, she is compelled to capture the essence of an ilk of subtle (yet impactful) magic in her work, aiming to evoke nostalgia, raise a fleeting memory, foster an unexpected emotional connection, conjure a glimpse of some long-forgotten dream.
Moving into screenwriting for a more mature audience is a most welcome stride forward into new and stimulating realms of creative challenge.
One-Day Workshop in Costume Design and Management for TV & Film
Friday 18th November 2022
10AM- 4:30PM
Wexford Opera House
Free: Apply here for workshop
Screen Wexford are delighted to present a One-Day Workshop in Costume Design and Management for TV & Film that has been developed by industry professionals for those interested in getting involved in TV, Film or Theatre Costume Design.
This workshop is suitable for those already active in areas of drama or performance, with or without a fashion background and wanting to learn more about all aspects of costume for performance.
Workshop’s Aim:
- – This workshop’s aim is to provide participants with an introduction to the world of Costume Design and management over a variety of media formats.
- – It will give attendees an appreciation of the role of the Costume Designer, the Costume Team and how Costume integrates and functions as part of any production within Film, TV and Theatre.
- – We will aim to highlight the day to day work of the costume designer and the running of a costume department.
- – We will also seek to provide a realistic picture of options for further study and career specialisations in costume within the performance industries.
This one day course will be run by Wexford resident Inez Nordell. Inez has designed costumes for upwards of seventy projects for theatre, film & television including contemporary & period drama & light entertainment in Ireland and the U.K. Her work has taken her to Europe, Africa & the US and has seen her offer Industry training and mentoring of Costume and Fashion students on work experience placements at Granada Television and on various independent productions for the B.B.C. and Channel 4.
Materials:
Screen Wexford will supply as many materials as possible on the day but if you have access to them please bring the following:
- A3 Sketch book heavy cartridge paper
- Pencils (from H to 5B)
- Range of old magazines/ decorative papers. for collage and
- Coloured Pencils illustration.
- General PAPER Scissors,
- Notebook for lecture notes
- Pen for taking notes
- Chalk pastels (Tiger)
- Oil pastels Eraser (Staedtler white)
- Putty A4 Plain White Paper (Loose sheets 80gsm)
- Rubber Ingres paper – for pastel and conté
- Pritt Stick Fine Line Pen Black 0.5mm
- Fine Line Pen Black 0.7mm
- Tailors tape measure
This course is aimed at new entrants and trainee crew who want to work or are working in the camera department of the Film & TV Drama industry. There are a maximum of 15 spaces.
Apply online before November 11th
Contact for any queries: cordinator@screenwexford.com
Screen Wexford is proud to announce successful applicants for the New Voices 2022 Short Film Award in Drama, Documentary and Animation. The fund is an initiative of Wexford County Council’s Arts Office in conjunction with Screen Wexford.
The aim of the New Voices 2022 bursary is to provide funding and to give support to emerging filmmakers. Three teams have been selected and will receive production finance, equipment support from Film Equipment Hire and professional mentors to support the filmmakers throughout the production process.
The three projects to make it through to final selection are:
- Woman of the Rebellion by Leah O’Toole – This short drama is based on a true story and tells of an important moment for two women during The War of Independence.
- The Haunting of Loftus Hall by Joseph Orr – A short Animation that tells the story of the most famous appearances of the devil in Irish history. Directed by Joseph Orr with sound design by Justin Cullen.
- A Search for an Ancient Relic by Andrew & Shane Kenny – A short Documentary investigating the mystery, history, folklore and traditions surrounding the wooden statue of Saint Maelruan.
These projects were selected by our industry judges Laura Way and Conor Morrissey. Speaking about the process Laura Way said “We had an interesting selection of submissions this year and as judges, we sought to find projects that embodied the essence of the New Voices idea. I believe that the films that we have selected will give an opportunity to showcase work from new filmmakers and with the support of Screen Wexford they will have an opportunity to create exciting projects.”
Speaking about the three successful teams and their upcoming films, Screen Wexford’s coordinator Al Butler said that “We are very thankful to the Wexford Arts Department for supporting this bursary. It’s a great opportunity for filmmakers to be supported in this way. The projects that have been selected are representative of the core objectives of New Voices. We had an excellent number of applications for the Bursary this year with some very strong projects in the mix. We would like to thank everyone that applied and took the time to be a part of the process. We are really excited to work with the selected filmmakers and to help them tell their stories.”
Screen Wexford is committed to providing training, funding opportunities and mentorships for new and emerging filmmakers as well as growing a diverse regional pool of creative talent and crew. The aim is to provide opportunities within the industry, to nurture a diverse range of talent from all backgrounds and to an inclusive and evolving screen industries workforce.
Date: 29th October 2022
Time: 10AM-5pm
Location: St. Michael’s Theatre – Centre for the Arts, New Ross, Co. Wexford.
Cost: This workshop is Free – Please register to attend
This workshop is full. Please email coordinator@screenwexford.com to be added to the waiting list.
Screen Wexford and Wexford filmmaker Therese Dalton will present a one-day Introduction to Video workshop. This workshop is a 101 introduction to learning the basics of video production. It will aim to give you an understanding of the basics of video production including pre-production, production and post-production.
The world of video production can seem a little overwhelming at first, but our workshop will help you to become familiar with the world of video production can seem a little overwhelming at first, but our workshop will help you to become familiar with the three main stages involved in creating video content. Whether you are creating a short film, documentary or promotional video for your business. Most videos follow the same steps and our goal will be to give you an understanding of how to create videos of your own using traditional tools such as a camera and laptop or your smartphone.h the three main stages involved in creating video content.
Whether you are creating a short film, documentary or promotional video for your business. Most videos follow the same steps and our goal will be to give you an understanding of how to create videos of your own using traditional tools such as a camera and laptop or your smartphone.
We will cover:
- Pre-Production: The planning stage. How can you best prepare to shoot your video?
- Production: Shooting your video. What do you need to know about camera, lighting, and audio equipment to best execute your vision? How to get the best results out of your smartphone using everyday items.
- Post-Production: Editing your video. How do you put all the final pieces together to present your final video? Learn about editing software available on your phone/tablet and how to use it to create an engaging film.
Over the course of our Introduction to Video workshop, we will give you an overview of each of these stages helping you understand how to approach creating videos of your own. This workshop will be run by Wexford filmmaker Therese Dalton who facilitates a range of video-based educational training including the Wexford Youth Film programme. Therese will walk participants through the fundamentals of filmmaking and the editing process to create engaging short films.
Screen Wexford is an initiative of Wexford County Council’s Arts and Economic Development departments, the aim of which is to support the development of the ever-growing Film and AV sector.
Screen Wexford is committed to providing training, funding opportunities and mentorships for new and emerging filmmakers as well as growing a diverse regional pool of creative talent and crew. The aim is to provide opportunities within the industry for those who at present may feel precluded from a career within the sector and to nurture a diverse range of talent from all backgrounds and an inclusive and evolving screen industries workforce.
This workshop is Free – Please register to attend
Laura Way, Fiona Kinsella & Pail Walker will represent Screen Wexford on the 24th of September in Griffith Collage Dublin at the FNI Unmasked event. Film Network Ireland are hosting an incredible event that focuses on a wide range of subjects in the film and TV industry.
The team from Bodecci Films will be there to discuss their innovative programme, Wexford Writers Scripting For Broadcast Academy. This programme brings a diverse range of writers together, all with one goal in mind, to write for an Anthology series “Menapia”, that tells the stories of County Wexford. The programme was funded by Screen Skills Ireland, Creative Ireland, Wexford County Council, and run by Bodecci Films.
Out of sixty-four applications twelve writers were selected. These writers represented a diverse range of new original voices, from the town and the country, and different socio economic backgrounds. Gender parity was also achieved. Over the course of a year these writers were mentored into bringing their ideas to a one hour television script.
The 12 Wexford writers worked in a collaborative environment with established and experienced Lead Writer/Series Producer, Paul Walker, Producer (Jumper Productions/Tile Media) Fiona Kinsella, and Director/Exec Producer Bodecii Film, Laura Way, to acquire the skills to become broadcast writers. They developed their screen writing skills in a practical environment preparing them to become broadcast writers and bridging the skills gap to the Film and Television Industry. They have engaged with industry professionals, agents, Development Executives, Producers, Directors, Writers and Guilds and all 12 writers have delivered a one hour second draft of their screenplay to date.
The ultimate aim for this programme is to produce the Anthology Series, with training and development for key creative talent incorporated every step of the way. In the summer of 2022, eight of the scripts, were selected, to be further developed and honed into the anthology series and get them Market ready.
In MENAPIA each episode is a new story that spans different genres including horror, thriller, comedy and science fiction. All the while encompassing full diversity of Irish Cultural Life, generating a weird ,wonderful, but most importantly honest snapshot of an Irish County. We will have selected local stories with Universal themes, ones that will appeal to global audiences.
We are very excited to work with FNI and the team at Bodecci Films on this event and help give a platform to Wexford voices at a key industry event like FNI unmasked.
In response to the need to create a place where we can build a stronger community Screen Wexford have created a The Screen Wexford Crew Community group on Facebook.
The Screen Wexford Crew Community is a place for everyone involved in Wexford Film & Video Production to connect.
Our goal is to help Wexford Crews find each other and to work together to create a strong connected community of Wexford filmmakers.
– Please post
– Roles paid/unpaid
– News about the Irish film industry
– Film Festivals
– Meetups
– Networking
– Locations
– Advice
We would encourage all filmmakers in Wexford to join this group and to actively participate. It is essential that we are interconnected as a group of filmmakers and that we take the time to connect, share and celebrate each other’s work.
Wexford Filmmakers Robert Tyrrell and Joanne Heffernan in conjunction with Screen Wexford, FDYS, Wexford Arts Office, and The Presentation Arts Centre present a showcase of Traveller arts, crafts & film.
Fresh from its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh, Robert Tyrrell & Joanne Heffernan’s short documentary, Halted, is a short documentary film about the everyday lives of the Travelling community in Enniscorthy. Halted was shot last year after the filmmaking duo received funding through the Wexford Arts Department and Wexford County Council New Voices bursary. It will be accompanied by an hour-long programme of short films about traveller culture.
Working with the local FDYS Traveller inclusion program in Enniscorthy this film screening will accompany an exhibition of work by the Travelling Community from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford which runs at Presentation Arts Centre from 17th September – 15th October.
This Culture Night event takes place in the Presentation Arts Centre Enniscorthy from 6pm-7pm on the 23rd of September 2022.
This film showcase event will include:
- – Halted by Robert Tyrrell and Joanne Heffernan
- – Crown by Mia Mullarkey
- – Wagon Wheels by Terence White
- – Spread the Wings by Alice McDowell
- – Innocent Boy by John Connors
This year’s Culture Night, on September 23rd, will see venues all over the country open their doors, with free events programmed from 4pm till late. Culture Night in County Wexford will host a variety of events and reach to all corners of the county, which will appear online https://culturenight.ie/events/ and an e-brochure detailing all events will be available in September from the Arts Office website.
Every year Culture Night brings people together to create unique shared experiences and memories. All for FREE! Exhibitions, performances, workshops and heritage events are all on the programme for this year’s Culture Night.
“Culture night has grown phenomenally throughout Wexford County and it is fantastic to see activities planned in all five municipal districts. The Arts Office looks forward to continuing to support Culture night’s growth countywide over the coming years. I urge you all to come out Friday 23rd September for a free and entertaining night of art, heritage and culture”. – Liz Burns – Arts Officer, Wexford County Council
For further information please email coordinator@screenwexford.com
This is a free and un-ticketed event and entry will be on a first come first served basis.
Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is brought to you by the Arts Council; it is a national moment, celebrating culture, creativity and the arts and County Wexford will be host to a programme of events on the night that offers something for everyone. For more information on County Wexford Culture Night 2022, visit https://culturenight.ie/events/
Address: The Presentation Arts Centre, Convent Road, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland
Locations: Enniscorthy
Locations: 6pm
Cllr George Lawlor, Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council was delighted to announce the green light by An Bord Pleanála for the Tara Film Studios development for North Wexford. He stated that the film studios were a major uplift to the economy of Wexford and Ireland’s eastern corridor, demonstrating the strategic strengths of Wexford’s motorway connectivity to Dublin creating a major film hub for the industry.
“This is one of the most exciting developments to create real jobs for the people of Wexford and I am delighted as the Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council to applaud Tara Film studios for their vision and commitment to Wexford with this significant investment project”.
He added further that earlier this year he had held very productive meetings with the Savannah Film Commission about developing further potential economic partnerships with Wexford and that Tara Studios would cement this opportunity, particularly in nurturing skills and talent for the film industry across a range of sectors. Tom Enright, Chief Executive of Wexford County Council highlighted how the announcement was a significant boost to the local economy and a real game-changer for the County. He outlined that the planning permission was granted by Wexford County Council in January of last year and then went to An Bord Pleanála who approved the planning permission for the major strategic project today.
“The investment by Tara studios will see the construction of seven studio stages, ten workshops and two office buildings, demonstrating the scale of the investment for North Wexford. I am delighted to see the economic benefits of this project which, with a major film production could create 630 jobs in Wexford, which is the equivalent of 3 major IDA announcements. This does not capture the employment gains in the construction phase with 120 jobs expected followed by indirect employment opportunities in terms of maintenance contracts, equipment supply, set design and landscaping”. He stated this was one of the “best days for the County and Wexford County Council positioned the film industry as one of our job creation pillars in recognition of the vibrant cultural assets in the county and growth in the global film and television sector. We established Screen Wexford to ensure the right skills and training to support the industry and create as much local employment as possible. This really positions Wexford’s reputation as an investment location and an ideal place to do business.”
Cllr Donal Kenny, Chair of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District was delighted to welcome the news of the Tara film studios at Borleigh Manor which itself is very fitting given its historical association with Hollywood actors in the past.
“I am delighted to see this investment which will have a positive impact for local businesses and communities. Wexford has a strong reputation for people with skills in the construction sector and during the building phase and when the film studios are up and running will bring jobs to the Gorey area in terms of tourism, food and supply side opportunities. We have great people in North Wexford and organisations such as the Gorey School of Art who will be delighted to support opportunities for people to get into the film sector and develop their careers. This announcement will really put North Wexford on the map given the calibre of the highly experienced people behind the project. I am delighted on behalf of the elected members and the people of Gorey kilmuckridge Municipal District to welcome the news today of this investment and I want to congratulate all involved”.
Al Butler is the film coordinator with Screen Wexford which is an initiative of the Arts and Economic sections of Wexford County Council. He stated that Screen Wexford are incredibly excited about the news of planning being granted for Tara Studios in North Wexford. This announcement is a real catalyst for the film industry in County Wexford
“We have a huge amount of creative talent and stunning film locations, but the addition of Tara studios takes the local film industry to another level. Tara
Studios will provide incredible cultural and employment opportunities for County Wexford and Screen Wexford are looking forward to being able to support national and international productions and to working on the development of new and experienced Wexford-based talent in the screen sector”.
APPLY TODAY | 15 SPACES
Saturday 20th August 2022
11 AM- 4pm
Gorey School of Art
This course will run over one day on Saturday, 20th August 2022 from 11:00am to 4:00pm.
Screen Wexford are proud to present this unique opportunity to get a hands-on practical experience with super 16mm film and cameras. This workshop will give you an opportunity to practice loading/unloading, exposure, shooting film, post-production workflows and using different film stocks in Arriflex and Bolex cameras.
Course Content
- – Choosing film stocks
- – Overview of the camera and its components
- – Arriflex
- – Bolex
- – Superspeeds
- – Zooms
- – Camera Mags
- – Varispeed
- – Basics of loading
- – Exposing film
- – Working with film vs digital
- – Shooting 16mm
- – Unloading
- – Completing negative reports
- – Processing film and negative scanning
This workshop will be delivered by JP Quill. JP has experience working across the camera department; working on drama features, shorts, documentaries, TV, music videos, commercials, branded content, corporate video, and art films in both Ireland and internationally.
This course is aimed at new entrants and trainee crew who want to work or are working in the camera department of the Film & TV Drama industry. There are a maximum of 15 spaces.
Apply online before Tuesday 16th of August
For technical difficulties with the online system please email coordinator@screenwexford.com
Selection for the workshop will be based on the quality of application and industry experience relevant to the course.
Monday 23rd May 2022
10 AM-12 pm
The Presentation Arts Centre Enniscorthy
Free: CLICK HERE to register.
This event is for Wexford based filmmakers to meet, support one another and learn new skills with the aid of expert workshops.
Throughout 2022, Screen Wexford are running a series of networking events throughout Wexford. At each event Screen Wexford will bring a new industry expert to share tips and resources about working in the Film & TV industry.
We are looking for members of the Wexford film & TV community to join us as we connect, socialise, share industry tips and opportunities.
We aim to provide opportunities for filmmakers to meet people working in the industry at all levels.
We will host workshops throughout the year on a variety of topics for beginners and advanced. Over the course of the year we will look at a wide range of areas from sound to costume design and from drama to documentary.
CLICK HERE to register and grab a free ticket to our May Networking event!
At our May Networking Event our guest speaker will be broadcast Camera operator Garr Cleary.
Garr will bring us through the industry workflow, will give us an introduction into working with Sony FX6 & Fs7, getting started in the business and how to approach shooting for television.
Garr Cleary has been working as a camera op in the film and TV industry for over 12 years. He has worked on some of Ireland’s most known shows and Documentaries featuring on RTE, BBC, History Channel, Netflix and more. Garr has travelled around the world specialising in filming adventure and travel series like Ultimate Hell week and Go fly!
Screen Wexford is a Wexford County Council initiative supported by Arts and Economic Development Departments. We aim to advance the film industry in Wexford by facilitating indigenous and international Film & TV production while supporting training initiatives that develop and grow our film community.
Be sure to save your spot at our upcoming Screen Wexford event on Monday, May 23rd, 2022 CLICK HERE
After receiving a high standard of applications from all over the county, Screen Wexford is pleased to announce that the Peggy Walsh Award for Female Camera Talent 2022 goes to Therese Dalton.
Having originally studied broadcast journalism in Dublin, Therese Dalton pursued a career in the film and television industry in San Francisco and lectured at the city’s Academy of Art. Returning to Ireland, she worked as an editor for RTE and the BBC and subsequently as a camera operator.

Back in her native New Ross, Therese continues to freelance and to run filmmaking workshops for young people and as coordinator for the County Wexford Youth Film Project. On learning of her win, she spoke of being “honoured to receive the award” and how she was “mesmerised by the magical quality of Peggy Walsh’s Super 8 film footage from the 1960s.”
Peggy Walsh, to whom the award is dedicated, was an amateur filmmaker born in Wexford a hundred years ago. She enriched the county by leaving behind an extraordinary film archive that documents local life – most famously the visit of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Award winner, Therese Dalton went on to say how as a cinematographer shooting with digital video cameras for the past twenty years, she never felt the modern format matched the “luminous ethereal quality of Super 8 film.”
Screen Wexford, the local film initiative spearheaded by Wexford County Council, decided to support women filmmakers from the locale by awarding this new bursary – and, by naming it in honour of Peggy Walsh, to draw attention to the Wexford woman’s extraordinary talent and legacy.
Applications for the award were judged by Wexford native Jessica Drum – Chief Executive of the Screen Guilds of Ireland – and Film Director Diramuid Goggins, who both remarked on the challenge of making the selection due to the quality of the submissions. John Leahy, manager of the Irish Society of Cinematographers and 24-4 Drama will support Therese through the provision of equipment and has also linked her up with new mentor – John Conroy, AFC, ISC. Therese will also receive 1 year’s subscription to Women in Film & Television Ireland who promote greater representation of women on screen and behind the camera.

Linda Curtin, Wexford’s outgoing Film & TV Coordinator for Screen Wexford, points out parallels between the work of Therese Dalton and Peggy Walsh in terms of aesthetic and outlook. “Like Peggy, Therese is a true artist with a fascination for people and place.”
Peggy Walsh’s daughter, Ann Larkin, said “The Walsh family extend our sincere best wishes to Therese Dalton for winning the award. With a little inspiration from Peggy and a mountain of professional support, the opportunities are endless. The financial award is brilliant but the mentoring is priceless. Every frame captured is a memory made!”
SCREEN WEXFORD HAS HAD A BUSY 2021!
To celebrate, the team at Screen Wexford would like to announce an end of year Showcase Event taking place in Wexford Art centre on Thursday 2nd December 2021 from 7-9pm. This event will include short films screenings, launch of Screen Wexford’s new website, and is an opportunity to meet the team behind Screen Wexford whilst learn of new and exciting plans for 2022.
This showcase event will include:
NEW VOICES SHORT FILM SCREENING
In December 2020, from a highly competitive slate of submissions, three Wexford based teams were selected to receive production finance; equipment support from lighting company Teach Solais; and a professional mentor to support the filmmakers throughout the production process.
The three winning projects being presented in our showcase are:
‘Sonny, Mammy and Patch the dog’
by Sinead O‘Quigley, Richard Deering and Adam Hart, is a dark comedy about how life can be put back together after a bereavement.
Samsara by Unity, a collaboration between artists Mirona Mara and Jonathan Murphy who have made an animated short about the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.
Halted by Robert Tyrell and Joanne Heffernan – a documentary about the everyday lives of the Travelling Community in Wexford.
REMIXING THE ARCHIVE PROJECT
Earlier this year, Screen Wexford ran an exciting new training programme in the field of film archive that invited ambitious early-stage career filmmakers and artists working with the moving image across Wexford, to engage imaginatively with the enormous untapped potential of archive film (from the IFI / BFI / BBC & NI Screen) whilst creating a new archive-inspired piece. The workshop was delivered by Akajava Films in collaboration with the Make Film History project with the support of Screen Skills Ireland. 9 films made during this project will also be screened.
Speaking about the work being screened as part of the showcase, Screen Wexford’s co-ordinator Linda Curtin said that “Wexford has a wealth of creative talent and I’m very excited to share the work produced through our programmes – these short films represent a diversity of subject matter, culture and ethnicity and I hope they inspire others to launch their careers as filmmakers and engage with our Screen Office’.
This event has limited access due to covid restrictions and is invite only. However, we will stream the event online over Zoom. Details as follows:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88928934395?pwd=Y2NPamVLOExNRnkwOGRQckFxamw5UT09
Webinar ID 889 2893 4395
Webinar Passcode 696849
For further information please email screenwexford@gmail.com
BEYOND 2021 took the theme of place to look at how the Creative Industries are forming the heart of new vibrant cultural and creative economies. The conference is in its 4th year and was a hybrid event that took place both in Belfast and online. We are highly invested in championing creativity and entering the immersive space here in Screen Wexford, so we journeyed up to make some connections and to see what we could learn from their vibrant film & TV industry.
The conference was held in partnership with Future Screens NI and supported by Belfast City Council and Matrix NI. As a delegate, we enjoyed a bespoke programme of activities, with location-based immersive experiences, networking, receptions and lots more. Feeding our curiosities was the depth of research and innovation shared that looked to reimagine, reinvent and reinvigorate place. For Screen Wexford, place, and the marketing of same, is an important part of our remit. We strive not just to put Wexford on the map, but to make it a true production centre and we are examining creative ways to do that.
The absolute stand-out events for us were:
1. Fuelling the Future: How to Build New Place-Based Talent Pipelines
At a time when the UK government is talking about national skills shortages across multiple sectors, is it time for the Creative Industries to take a different track, and time to recognise that skills issues in regional and local creative economies need regional and local solutions? But can place-based talent pipelines be created and nurtured to successfully fuel growth in regional and local creative economies? How are different places across the UK approaching the question of where we need to get to and how we can get there? Where is this working and who can we learn from?
Dominic Lusardi, Advisor/NED, Digital Thinkers
Emma Turner, Head of Film CPD and Future Skills, ScreenSkills
Frank Lyons MBE, Interim Executive Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Ulster University
Rachel Nicholson, Head of Institution, Backstage Academy
Rosalind Coleman, Producer, Punchdrunk
You can view the talk online on Beyond’s channel here.
2. Materiality in the Metaverse: Tools to Thrive in the New Spaces of Fashion−
Fashion experts from academia and industry explore the distinctions between the three levels of the new Fashion Metaverse, the opportunities and issues presented by each, and the tools required to support the next generation of designers and fashion entrepreneurs as they navigate these new worlds and markets.
Miss Jade How, Head of Fashion, Lockwood Publishing
Prof Jane Harris, Professor of Digital Design and Innovation, Director of the Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI, UAL), University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion
Dr Mike King, CEO, Numerion Software
Alex Lambert, Creative Director, Happy Finish
Leanne Elliott Young, CEO & Co-Founder, Institute of Digital Fashion
Watch back Materiality and the Metaverse here.
3. Wide Open Spaces: Building Rural Creative Networks
A third of creative business hubs are outside of the UKs big cities, and beyond them lie thousands of small innovators, entrepreneurs, creative practitioners and businesses, many in remote places. Regions where creative economies are dispersed face unique challenges as they grow, but are also ideally placed to reinvent themselves for the digital age, create new jobs, bring investment and provide a unique sense of place and place-making. This panel looks at what is needed if we’re to support and grow the creative economy in these places.
Joanne Evans, Creative Industries Impact and Partnerships and Development Manager, University of Exeter
Dr Karen Cross, Academic Strategic Lead for Fashion Management, Events, Tourism and Hospitality, Robert Gordon University
Emily Sorrell, Innovation Designer
Dr Josh Siepel, PEC Work Strand Lead for Creative Clusters, Innovation and Access to Finance, SPRU, University of Sussex and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Check out Wide Open Spaces: Building Rural Creative Networks here.
4. Altered Places: How Augmented Reality Could Change our Relationships with our Worlds
In this video piece Augmented Reality Product Designer Campbell Orme asks if and how AR can change our relationships with places.
Watch back Altered Places here.
5. Augmenting Places: AR for the People
As the medium becomes more popular, what responsibilities do AR makers have to place – and the communities that live there? Angela Chan, an expert in innovative inclusion in storytelling, talks to leading AR makers to find out how it can be used to open up both places and our imaginations for new encounters with history, our environment and each other – before questioning how we should address the potential issues around accessibility, inclusion and ownership that this opening up of place can unlock.
Angela Chan, Head of Inclusion / Doctoral Researcher, StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London
Rob Morgan, Creative Director, Playlines
Dr Paul Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Performance Studies, Artistic Director, University of Bristol, Uninvited Guests
Nosa Eke, Writer/Director
Check out Augmenting Places: AR for the People here.
6. Belfast Stories: Turning Place 360
Founder of Belfast-based agency Yellow Design, Michael McGlade, explores their work in Belfast and London that is remaking and revealing new aspects of place, past and present, through AR.
Michael McGlade, Creative Director, Yellow Design
Watch Belfast Stories: Turning Place 360 here.
Overall, it was beyond impressive and we can’t wait for next year’s array of talks, immersive experiences and fresh collaborators!
ALBERT is the authority on environmental sustainability for film + TV. Founded in 2011 and governed by an industry consortium, they support everyone working in film and TV to understand their opportunities to create positive environmental change. Their training helps industry colleagues to live and work sustainably by providing an optimistic, science-based, solution-centric and enjoyable introduction to the environmental challenges we face. Aimed at those who work in production and crew, their courses are free and open to everyone.
As a Screen Office, we undertook Sustainable Production Training which provides the knowledge and skills to create productions in a more sustainable way. Through this course, we looked at…
– environmental basics
– industry’s impact
– production case studies
– carbon calculation and certification
Reduction of our carbon footprint is a hot topic in almost every industry. Whether it’s building and construction or IT data-centres, transport or manufacturing, everyone is becoming increasingly conscious of how much energy they use and how much carbon they put into the atmosphere – and the film and television industry is no different. There are taxes coming. And probably fines too.
Carbon neutral filmmaking is on the way up the agenda and is being taken seriously – anywhere from Screen Ireland to Netflix and Amazon and even in our own county council arts and film offices around the country. Anything we do in Wexford in the area of screen production will take its carbon footprint into account, whether by energy conservation and recycling or by factoring in carbon credits or carbon capture.
The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) is the global non-profit professional organisation representing city, state, regional, provincial and national film commission members on six continents. AFCI’s mission is to provide advocacy, connectivity and education necessary for film commissions and businesses in the screen sector to foster economic growth, to initiate the groundwork for strong infrastructure and provide the essentials for professional development in a fair, sustainable and socially diverse manner world-wide.
Earlier this year, Screen Wexford invested some time in acquainting ourselves with the AFCI’s Film Commission’s course materials to ensure we meet international industry standards when operating our Screen Office. Their online courses are specific to Screen Commissioners and are self-directed. Here are the courses we took:
Film Commission Fundamentals
Film Commission Fundamentals (FCF) is an online course providing valuable information and training to individuals involved with film commissions in any capacity. This course is an introduction and orientation to film commission work. Film Commission Fundamentals give the participant an overview of all aspects of film commission work. Topics of study include film commission operations, marketing your jurisdiction, an overview of economic development, film incentives programs, scouting, location photography, plus working with production and clients and within the local jurisdiction. Graduates of the course will gain an understanding of the skills required of every film commission staff member, and the way in which film commissions can successfully interact with the production community and their jurisdictions. Upon finishing the course, we were awarded a certificate of completion and later went on to study Film Commission Professional.
Film Commission Professional
Film Commission Professional is an online course building on the information presented in Film Commission Fundamentals course. It provides more in-depth information on several of the most important elements involved in film commission work. Course participants will explore important topics in greater depth including the business aspects of film production, effective marketing techniques, economic development impact and reporting, and the importance of alliances and partnerships such as working with crew, guilds, unions, and economic development officials.
Both courses were incredibly informative and gave an insight into the hard and soft skills required to run a Screen Office. A must for any screen office professional. You can read more about the AFCI here.
Welcome to the future of location scouting – VIRTUAL SCOUTING.
Here at Screen Wexford, we are committed to exploration of new technologies for the development and positioning of our Screen Office. Very early on, we asked ourselves the question ‘How can we future-proof the marketing of our locations whilst preparing for advances in technologies in the area of virtual production?’ Since the advent of covid, remote working has seen the production pipeline change and advance. More and more teams are working remotely with key decision makers inputting on locations both remotely and through the VR space.
The beauty of 360 degree footage is that it can allow viewers to engage with the footage / environment / location through a VR headset but also through 2D. Key decision makers in the production process have the ability to see exactly what’s in a space and therefore its full cohesive potential. We think that 360 location scouting will literally change the game.
Advantages:
– It effectively demonstrates scale;
– It’s convenient and cohesive: instead of multiple shots of a location, one compact 360 file (taken as either 360 still or video) can give a really strong sense of a location that the viewer can engage with in an immersive way. In sum, you don’t miss a picture as it takes in the entire space;
– It’s time saving – the speed of capture and the workflow are really incredible. You can document one entire room in under a minute and then share it with your team;
– Health & Safety: Being covid safe is of uppermost importance to crews. The beauty of 360 shooting is that it can negate larger numbers of crew on a recce. IE – instead of bringing a production designer, grip and electric team on a recce, a location manager can remotely communicate (in live mode) relevant location data;
– It’s portable and fits in your pocket;
– Since it negates large numbers in attendance on a recce, a virtual location shoot is sustainable in terms of reducing our carbon footprint. Less flights and more remote decision making make for greener productions;
– If you’re not sharing in live format, you can transfer the footage from the camera to the Insta360 Studio app on a desktop. For file-sharing, you can lock the position on the video, download and send. You can also review footage with teams over video conferencing or in-person on a TV screen, going through each location in detail in order to break down the specifics.
Earlier this year we tested various 360 camera including the Insta360 One X and the Insta360 Pro 2. Both are incredibly versatile but the One X came out ahead in terms of it’s versatility, size, cost and post-production workflow. We see this experimentation as part of our future-proofing in the area of Virtual Production and hope to integrate these 360 virtual recce shoots into our service offering in the next year.
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in Austin, Texas, United States. Screen Wexford was fortunate enough to attend the virtual event from the comfort of our remote office in Wexford. We missed the in-person interactions (whole doesn’t love sitting in a dark room at 9am at a film festival….or 9pm at the festival hub) but we were certainly not disappointed by the line up and array of talent in attendance. Over the course of the five day festival, we attended talks, watched films, shared some amazingly immersive XR experiences and discovered new ways to connect in this unique digital space. From this, lots of exciting ideas have emerged which we will integrate into our programme for the year ahead.
If you’re interested, you can check out our SXSW Diary below:
Driving Action Advocacy Through Online Community
Online communities are nothing new (case in point: Reddit turned 15 last year); but as the world adapted to 2020, these digital spaces have proven their worth in a whole new way. Reddit has witnessed this first hand, as more people joined its many thousands of communities for connection, distraction and belonging in a time of unprecedented disconnection. While IRL experiences continue to evolve in unexpected ways, the communities on Reddit remain a constant source of conversation and companionship — as well as a valuable lens from which to examine human psychology, consumer behavior, and general sentiment. Join Reddit’s Chief Operating Officer Jen Wong as she takes the virtual stage with CNN’s Kerry Flynn for a conversation about why online communities were made for this moment, their role in the evolving digital ecosystem, and the inherent value they bring to brands looking to build authentic connection, brand advocacy, and drive action.
Amy Webb Launches 2021 Emerging Tech Trend Report
In this provocative session, futurist Amy Webb, professor at NYU Stern School of Business and founder of the Future Today Institute, provided a data-driven analysis for the emerging tech trends that need to be on your radar in 2021––scenarios for the future of business, governing and society.
Laurieann Gibson on Tapping Into Your Creative Vision
Empower the dreamer in you: the artist, the writer, the athlete, the entrepreneur, the mover and shaker. World-renowned creative visionary, choreographer and author Laurieann Gibson shared the principles that have shaped and guided her artistic work developing some of the world’s biggest pop stars. In conversation with creative director, celebrity stylist and costume designer June Ambrose, Gibson spoke about the inspirational jewels she’s garnered over her 20-year career in entertainment in order to ignite your creative passions, encourage you to create a unique roadmap to success, and to “dance your dance.”#DanceYourDance
Why Do We Fear Innovation?
From the printing press to vaccines to artificial intelligence, the introduction of almost any transformative technology has been met with wonder as well as fear and rejection. Many of history’s greatest inventors were considered heretics–the archetype of the mad scientist exists for a reason. Why does the new still scare us? What does it take to build acceptance for transformative ideas? How does the unprecedented scientific progress to deliver COVID vaccines influence this? What role does disinformation play in shaping our fears? How can we ensure innovators consider ethical issues, so outcomes can lead to the betterment of people and the planet? What can innovators learn from artists and creators of fiction?
Climate Change Meet Up
We are living with the reality of climate change every day. How can we begin to adapt beyond acknowledgement and complacency? This meet up looked at the reality of the climate crisis and the solutions that have the opportunity to save our planet.
Can VR Create Real Change?
“VR for Good”, “the Empathy Machine”, “Story living”… VR has gotten quite a reputation for creating impact. But does the hype really add up? We are at a pivotal moment in history, with socio-political division at an all-time high and less than a decade left to prevent climate crisis. Could creating virtual realities actually help move us towards a better tomorrow? Join top VR for Good creators and curators as they dig into the impacts of this medium, putting real change and direct action front and center. We will tackle three difficult questions that get to the heart of this issue.
A Survival Guide to Alternative Film Distribution
Digital distribution continues to evolve with over 100 digital and streaming platforms offering movies and television series, catering to audiences eager to escape lockdown madness. At a time when theatre availability is uncertain and digital models are key, distributors and filmmakers are working out different ways to effectively release films of all genres and budgets. This panel will explore the platforms now available, how the business models work, and what types of films work in these distribution structures. Emerging trends will be discussed including AVOD, film libraries, education/public library streaming, and MOD (manufacture on demand DVD). On the more traditional side, the speakers explored how distributors are monetizing their content and adapting to new processes.
Brian Eno Stewart Brand on Film, Music, and Creativity
Musician Brian Eno in discussion with Stewart Brand, the subject of a new documentary on Stewart called We Are As Gods. The film profiles Stewart Brand: legendary pioneer of the counterculture, cyberspace, futurism, and modern environmentalism. Today, he urges people to use our god-like powers to fight extinction by reviving lost species, but his former allies in the environmental movement vow to stand in his way. Brian Eno created the beautiful and indelible original music for We Are As Gods. The two are friends and co-founders of the Long Now Foundation, an organization dedicated to shifting humanity’s perspective to long-term thinking. Brian and Stewart chat with filmmakers about the film, collaborating on the musical score, and limiting creative possibilities in the digital age.
The Future is Accessible: Accessibility in XR
XR is redefining what we consider reality – creating the potential for entirely new mediums and means of expression. This paradigm-shifting technology allows users to experience entire worlds and alter their perceptions of reality. For XR technology to reach its full potential, it needs to be accessible. As we develop VR, AR, and other spatial computing experiences, we have the opportunity to create technologies that are accessible from the start. As workplace and educational paradigms become increasingly digital-forward, ensuring users of all abilities can avail themselves of XR technology is more important than ever. Hear from industry experts, academics, and creators on the current state of accessibility in XR and what we can do to ensure the future of XR is for everyone.#FutureIsAccessible
Entrepreneurship Equals Empowerment
Leveling the playing field for entrepreneurship is the single most important thing we can do to build a better economy. We must empower our next generation with the tools they need to create economic independence by bringing together businesses, governments, nonprofits and community orgs to invest in small business and remove barriers for disenfranchised groups. The challenges faced in 2020 highlighted many opportunities to do better, but also gave us hope, as the world rose to support Black entrepreneurs. We must continue to remove obstacles, encourage more aspiring Black entrepreneurs – and other traditionally marginalized communities – to start and scale businesses, and provide them with the technology, educational programs and opportunity to access capital that they need to succeed.
All-in-all an incredible festival. We connected with some amazing talent that we hope to bring to Wexford in some capacity in the coming months.
Hope to see you there next year!

In January, 2021, Wexford County Council green-lit the planning permission for the construction of Tara Studios – a proposed 250,000 square feet, state-of-the-art film studio at Borleigh Manor, just north of Gorey. A planning objection was later lodged by a local in relation to the scale of the project in a quiet rural area. The developers are still awaiting a decision from An Bord Pleanála.
Despite the Covid 19 pandemic, the global film and television industry has experienced substantial growth in the last number of years. Screen Wexford sees that the region can continue to benefit from this trend through the expansion of infrastructure and facilities. It is anticipated that Wexford’s new film studios, if they come to fruition, could help generate in the region of 350 jobs on incoming productions and a further 30 jobs at Tara Studios itself, plus additional local employment for technical and craft workers. The proposed facility will include seven sound stages along with supporting buildings on the 160 acre site – a significant new contribution to the Irish film industry.
The team behind Tara Studios is headed up by John Gleeson and Ivan Dunleavy. Gleeson hails from North Wexford and is recognised as one of Ireland’s most established advisors on film finance and an expert on the Irish Film and Television Tax Credit, Section 481; with a past list of media clients that include Amazon, Apple, Disney, Netflix, Sony and Universal Pictures. Ivan Dunleavy, whose parents were originally from Wexford, is the former chief executive of Pinewood Studios, the UK’s iconic “dream factory” and home to the James Bond franchise among many others. Dunleavy has also been an executive producer on film productions and involved in post-production in the area of ground breaking visual effects.
Screen Wexford, the county’s film and television agency, are hopeful that the decision comes soon from An Bord Pleanála and that it’s a positive one.
2020 marked Screen Wexford’s inaugural year and it would not have been complete without attending FOCUS – THE MEETING PLACE FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION. This year’s market took place online and proved to be a vibrant space to connect and share global production expertise across film, TV, advertising, animation and games. FOCUS has established itself as an important date in the screen industry calendar offering a plethora of filming solutions, potential partners and production intelligence for all types of project and all levels of budget, from pre through to post-production. A number of Ireland’s Screen Offices were also in attendance as well as The Locations Guild of Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, Commercial Producers Ireland and of course Ireland’s lead agency for screen production – Screen Ireland.
There were too many valuable talks and workshops for us to share but the stand out event for us was:
THE REALITY OF VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
2020 witnessed an enormous development in the area of virtual technology or virtual production. Its potential appears to be limitless. The release of The Mandalorian in 2019 and the pandemic has created a tremendous interest in the potential of VFX and an acceleration of what creatively, might be possible in terms of production. eg. It allows production design to be realised earlier and also it allows more control. But advances such as these require large teams of people and are currently massively expensive. The discussion looked at what we can expect over the next 5-10 years.
Speakers:
Tim Keene – Managing Director, The Third Floor London
Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull – Director / Producer, HaZ FILM Ltd.
Brian Mitchell – Head of Rebellion Film Studios
Glenn Kelly – Head of Production, Imaginarium Studios
The FOCUS programme is developed in consultation with a Content Advisory Board featuring representatives from leading industry bodies. Members include the British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pact, Directors UK, Advertising Producers Association, The Production Guild GB, ScreenSkills, UK Screen Alliance, Creative Europe Media Desk UK and Women in Film and TV. The content programme is presented in association with media partner Variety and sponsored by Production Service Network.
Screen Wexford is proud to announce successful applicants for the New Short Filmmakers Fund in Drama, Documentary and Animation.The fund is an initiative of Wexford County Council’s Arts Office in conjunction wit Bodecii Film and is run by Screen Wexford, the county’s agency for promoting Film & TV production and training.
From a highly competitive slate of submissions, three Wexford based teams have been selected to receive €2,500 production finance; equipment support from lighting company Teach Solas to the value of €1,500; and a professional mentor to support the filmmakers throughout the production process.
The three projects to make it through to final selection are:
• HALTED by Robert Tyrell and Joanne Heffernan – a documentary about the everyday lives of women from the Travelling Community in Wexford.
• SAMSARA by Unity, a collaboration between artists Mirona Mara and Jonathan Murphy who plan to make an animated short about the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.
• SONNY, MAMMY AND PATCH THE DOG by Sinead O’Quigley, Richard Deering and Adam Hart is a dark comedy about how life can be put back together after a bereavement.
Speaking about the three successful teams and their upcoming films, Screen Wexford’s co-ordinator Linda Curtin said that “although the benchmark for choosing projects was the potential to make a great short film, we also wanted to represent a diversity of subject matter, culture and ethnicity.” According to Curtin, the selection panel which also included playwright-actor Michael Cristofer and writer-director Conor Morissey was excited by the quality of projects selected, but overall it had been a tough process given the surprisingly high standard of submissions. She added that “we hope to repeat this process in future given the level of talent and creativity in the county.”