To mark the 20th anniversary of the IFTA awards, we are showcasing Irish talent who are blazing a trail across our industry, working in front of and behind the camera.
Hosted in association with IFTA, this Q&A Series connects with Irish talent who represent a range of disciplines across our industry.
We find out what they look out for in the projects they take on, what their approach is to filmmaking and collaboration; what inspires them; and what recent work in the industry they most admire.
Shane Crowley is nominated for Best Script (Film) for God’s Creatures. This is Crowley’s first screenplay, which was produced by his longtime friend and fellow Kerry native Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly. Crowley has also co-written a number of short films with director Jonny Blair: Shadows, A Song For Our Fathers, and Come Out Of The Woods.
IFTN: IFTA celebrates 20 years this year. How does this significant milestone reflect the growth and strengthening of the Irish film industry over the past two decades?
SHANE: “Although Irish films, and filmmakers, have kind of always poked their heads above the surface internationally, yeah it does seem a bit more frequent in recent years. You would probably have to put that down to a commitment in Ireland to supporting and promoting story tellers and artists at crucial stages in their development. The funding and development made available to people like myself through Screen Ireland, and various other national schemes, is either not replicated or as accessible in other countries.”
“So in the best of ways, the continued success and growing profile of the IFTAs is almost like the best expression of this relatively nascent but also amazingly circular economy of backing filmmakers early on in their careers, which by nature kind of means it isn’t always gonna be about the biggest and most successful thing, but the wider story of how many people this growing industry is employing and able to provide a means of living to.”
IFTN: How did this project first come about?
SHANE: “God’s Creatures started life in the basement flat of a very sweaty block of apartments during the sweltering London summer of 2013. Fodhla, the producer of the film, had brought me there with the idea of developing a story/script about a family of oyster farmers in County Kerry. It’s worth noting, I was a waiter in a restaurant and had absolutely no background in screenwriting at that time. A pretty big leap of faith on Fodhla’s behalf to be fair. Legend.”
IFTN: How would you describe your writing process? What conditions help to produce your best work?
SHANE: “The work/script was all about the collaboration from beginning to end between the core team. That started out as myself and Fodhla, it came to include our script editor Sarah Golding, and then finally, and most importantly, our co-directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer. I suppose I always worked best when that core team was in sync with each other and we knew what we were doing, after chatting through and developing ideas. I think as a screenwriter you must be able to work with other people, otherwise nothing you do will ever see the sight of a lens.”
IFTN: What differences were there between the initial script and the completed film?
SHANE: “Many, too many differences to account for here really. The important thing to say however is that those differences are all positive, for to go and look back now at that initial script written 10 years ago would be an awful, chastening shock to the system. No thanks.”
IFTN: How did you first get into writing professionally, and what have you learned through your experiences that would be of use to aspiring writers?
SHANE: “As mentioned above, I had absolutely no experience in film other than having watched lots of them. Which possibly stands for something in terms of any advice I might be able to offer. You will not in all likelihood ever be the smartest person in the room, but you can be curious and willing to trust in the people you’re working/collaborating with.”
IFTN: We often are our own worst critics. What is your approach to constructive criticism and inward reflection?
SHANE: “What I often immediately do after a development meeting is get out and go for a run, or just do something physical. For me at least that seems to assist with processing ideas and feedback. Probably makes no sense.”
IFTN: What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?
SHANE: “Don’t know who it was, but someone talking once about the nature of storytelling, and that compulsion being a very weird thing, but just encouraging it. It was maybe something like ‘stay curious, no meanness’.”
IFTN: Writers are often told to kill their darlings. How do you learn when to let something go or to fight for it?
SHANE: “Kind of feels like that’s all just a part of the writing process/collaboration really. There were many things in God’s Creatures lost that I thought once upon a time the film could never live without. I would struggle to name/describe any of those moments now.”
The 20th anniversary of the IFTA Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 7th.
