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IFTN talks to IFB’s Emma Scott about After '16 Initiative
03 Mar 2015 : Seán Brosnan
Deadline for the initiative is March 20, 2015
With the Irish Film Board running a once-off scheme to fund up to eight short films commemorating, celebrating and ruminating on 1916 and how the events of Easter Monday and beyond forged the landscape of the following century – IFTN caught up with IFB Production and Distribution Manager Emma Scott to talk about the initiative.

IFB funded shorts have had indelible success over the last number of years with Animated short ‘Coda’ being long-listed for an Academy Award, ‘Deadly’ winning the Don Quijote Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, ‘The Last Days of Peter Bergmann’ winning the Best Documentary Short Film award at the Melbourne International Film Festival and ‘Breakfast Wine’, starring Dylan Moran and Pat Shortt, winning the Special Jury Prize in the Short Film Official Selection.

This year however, the Irish Film Board are breathing fresh air into the schemes with the After '16 initiative, awarding €70k for up to four fiction films and €40k for up to four documentary films all between 8-12 minutes in length.

IFTN: The Irish Film Board obviously feels that the premise of 1916 has huge storytelling potential as you have put your Gearrscannáin, Reality Bites and Signatures schemes on hiatus this year for this one initiative– take us through this decision?

Emma Scott: ‘Every year across all of the IFB short film schemes, we get a scattering of scripts which try to deal with themes of identity, borders, patriotism, and issues of ideology as well as questions around church/ state divides. Mostly, these screenplays are period set and some struggle under the weight of their own historical burdens. But there is obviously a desire for filmmakers to tell these stories, and with the centenary of the 1916 Rising next year, it seems timely to set Irish filmmakers the task of formulating a response to the questions of identity, change and the effects of the last 100 years. Aligned with that, it seemed like a good opportunity to break the cycle of the regular IFB shorts run and to breathe some fresh air into the schemes.’

Applicants have a broad spectrum of genres and styles in which to pitch their ideas - contemporary or period, live action or animation, English or Irish language, Fictitious piece or documentary, and welcomes applications from both new and established filmmakers – do you get the feeling that this scheme will unearth some seminal and pivotal works on 1916?

‘The idea of the broad spectrum was to give filmmakers a chance to think big, be imaginative, to create a new look at something which most of us know only through black and white photographic images and historical renditions. We also want to emphasise that we are not just interested in stories around the Rising itself but also stories which relate in some way to the creation of the Ireland we live in today. Contemporary or period, or even a mixture, no one approach is more valid than another, we want to award engaging, compelling story-telling which will reflect or illuminate Irish society, both then and now.’

Projects have to be ready for delivery no later than January 2016 – what is the schedule then for the successful projects? Where will they be screened, who will distribute?

‘We have scheduled delivery for January 2016, so that this will give us the opportunity - along with the filmmakers - to access as broad an audience as possible throughout the centenary year. Of course we will be working with our usual festival friends in Ireland but we would also hope to screen the successful films in more unusual arenas, places more accessible to the general public for example and we look forward to sharing more details with you as these events come together.’

€70k for four fictions films and €40k for four documentaries is a substantial amount for short films and you mentioned that you want something that will “appeal to both local and international audiences”. What do you feel is the potential for the short films to come out of this scheme on the international circuit?

‘IFB funded short film have met with huge success in terms of engaging audiences and major international awards and festival selections over the last decade. We are very proud of how well the IFB shorts have performed abroad and while in this scheme there may be some films which will have their best audiences at home, we also feel that the topics mentioned above are international and meaningful in any society. We feel sure that at least some of the films produced will be capable of attracting as much international attention as many of our other IFB shorts have. The generous budgets allocated are testament to the value we place on Irish short film-making.’

Are there any other points you wish to get across about the scheme?

‘Finally, we would say to the film-makers, let your imagination fly and don’t be afraid to experiment. Let the 1916 theme be a starting point for some of you and don’t forget you’ve got at least one hundred years to play with, perhaps more if you’re a sci-fi fan!’

The deadline for the After '16 Initiative is March 20, 2015. More information can be found here.





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