15/11/2007

PJ Dillon’s Redux, Conor Horgan’s One Hundred Mornings and Margaret Corkery’s Eamon have been chosen from 45 submissions as winners of the inaugural Catalystproject scheme. The team behind the three films will receive an award of €250,000 each towards production.

The Catalystproject has been set up by the Irish Film Board, FÁS Screen Training Ireland, Filmbase, The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, TV3 and the Arts Council with a view to support three new filmmaking teams to produce a new low budget feature film while providing them and their crew with individually tailored mentoring from industry experts as they move towards production.

Redux deals with a series of strange events in the life of a young woman that leads to the appearance of a friend from her past. Dillon is best known for being the cinematographer on Kings.

One Hundred Mornings looks at two squabbling couples who have to survive a world-changing threat. The director Horgan made the award-winning short The Last Time.

Eamon is a family drama where a holiday turns into a fight for emotional and physical survival. Corkery’s shorts have screened at major festivals the world over.

Irish Film Board CEO Simon Perry said: “The aim of Catalyst is to take risks in order to find and liberate really fresh talent. The jury have made bold choices which I am confident will be vindicated by the three films that can now start production immediately.”

Liz Gill, the Artistic Director of Catalystproject said: “I’m honoured to be involved in Catalyst and amazed at the breadth and depth of the talent who applied. It bodes well, not just for this project, but the future of Irish film.”

The initiative takes its cue from the wave of Irish low budget films that are making an international mark including Once [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Garage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ed Guiney
interview: Jean-François Deveau
interview: Lenny Abrahamson
film profile], Pavee Lackeen [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Adam and Paul.