BAFTA and Emmy award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern is set to visit the Galway Film Centre for interview and workshop events on June 6, 2014.
McGovern is regarded as one of Britain’s leading writers having created such shows as ‘Cracker’, ‘Hillsborough’ and ‘The Lakes’. The TV and film screenwriter will take part in an in-depth interview about his writing career with former GMIT Film & TV Course Director, Patsy Murphy, as well as a smaller workshop which will focus on his first feature, ‘Needle’.
McGovern began writing in 1982 on Channel 4’s ‘Brookside’, which changed the face of British television soaps by introducing a sharper political edge and hard-hitting storylines exploring such contentious issues as poverty and unemployment. McGovern played a key role in developing the serial's distinctive voice but moved away when he felt the soap was shying away from important issues such as the Hillsborough disaster. After having his first feature ‘Needle’ commissioned by BBC, new opportunities arose and he created some of his most famous work such as ‘Cracker’, a story about a forensic scientist played by Robbie Coltrane. He also created the drama documentary ‘Hillsborough’, which lead actor Christopher Ecclestone said “was the most important work he’s ever done as an actor.”
In recent years, McGovern has been famed for his collaborative approach to writing, as well as nurturing new talent and finding new voices. This is reflected in shows such as ‘The Street’ and ‘Redfern’, which is the first Australian TV Drama written by indigenous writers. He is currently working on ‘Banished’, a TV drama set in 18th century Australia as well as ‘Common’, a TV film set in North West England, both for BBC.
The public interview with McGovern will look at specific scripts and examine his approach to writing for the screen. The workshop, for a smaller group, will delve into the mechanics of writing a first feature. Application for the workshop is competitive and the deadline is May 26th. The event will be run in association with GMIT and Screen Training Ireland, and will take place in The Harbour Hotel, Galway city on Friday, June 6.
For further details, please visit galwayfilmcentre.ie.
