Mayo filmmaker, Fergus Sweeney, has been announced as the successful recipient of the Film Mayo Creative Ireland residency award in partnership with Ballina Arts Centre.
The aim of the Film Mayo Creative Ireland residency award is to benefit the successful filmmaker in their own practice. This residency award will allow Sweeney time to develop new work, dedicate time to research, develop new ideas and to work with the local community. A key component of the residency award is that it has a mentoring aspect to it, which will support the filmmaker.
According to Film Mayo was a great response to this exciting and innovative residency award and a large volume of high quality applications from Mayo based or born filmmakers was received. The applications were assessed by an independent external panel, and panalists were extremely impressed with the quality of applications.
The residency is for a minimum of 20 days and will take place between September and December 2018. As part of the award, Sweeney will receive a budget of €6,000 and up to 15 hours of mentoring from the expert panel. Sweeney will also have use of Ballina Arts Centre Facilities during his residency and will make use of community engagement. Part of the residency award entitles Sweeney to two weeks in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Monaghan in 2019. The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is a residential workplace for artists, dedicated to supporting and facilitating creativity within a welcoming and trusted environment.
Sweeney will gain from working with the expert panel of mentors which includes script editor Mark Mc Ilrath, director Brendan Muldowney, and producer Martina Niland. Mark McIlrath is a script editor with 20 plus years’ experience working with screenwriters. Brendan Muldowney is an award-winning writer/director. His latest feature film is Pilgrimage (2017 ) which incorporating three weeks shooting in Mayo. Mayo native, Martina Niland, is a well-established Irish film and television producer with close to twenty years’ experience in the industry.
Fergus Sweeney has worked in the Irish television and film industry on varying productions from drama and entertainment to documentary. With film and television credits from both national and international productions, he has gained a wealth of experience working alongside some of Ireland's leading producers, directors and cinematographers. Combining his skills and geographical location, Sweeney often finds himself filming wildlife one minute and breaking news the next, but it is this diversity and ever-changing work environment combined with a creative element that he loves so much.
Sweeney is to use his residency to research and record interviews with members of the public who found themselves at the heart of the Rescue 116 tragedy, capturing the emotions of people locally and nationally. The residency will lay the foundations for producing a documentary focusing on the Rescue 116 tragedy. For further information contact Film Mayo: [email protected] (094 ) 9064367 www.filmmayo.ie
