IRELAND’S Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards 2020 looks to bring young filmmakers together online by using a “virtual solution” following the earlier cancellation due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
With events and festivals forced to cancel nationwide, Jayne Foley, Fresh Film and Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards founder announced the Fresh Film Festival team had “devised a virtual solution”.
Although the festival won’t see the filmmakers together in one place Ms Foley said, “we can bring them together online. In the spirit of Fresh we want our online activities to connect, inspire and support young filmmakers.”
Films shortlisted for the final were due be screened at Fresh International Film Festival 2020 in Limerick from March 23 to 28 but now because of the Coronavirus outbreak the films of the Festival and Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards have been postponed with screenings and workshops now taking place online.
The virtual plan for Fresh International Film Festival 2020 includes:
– Live chats on Facebook and Instagram with award-winning young filmmakers
– Screening the Junior finalists and some International films on Wednesday, March 25 On YouTube
– Screening the Senior finalists films on Thursday, March 26 on YouTube
– ‘How to’ videos made by young filmmakers sharing their own skills to inspire new young filmmakers via YouTube and social media.
A time to get creative
Fresh Film are asking young filmmakers to create short ‘How To’ videos about filmmaking. They should be energetic engaging and fun – no swearing please, it can be about anything that you can think of, but here are some ideas to get you started:
Script: Finding Ideas, idea development, scripting, characters.
Pre-Production: Story Boarding, finding actors, shotlists.
The Shoot: Working with actors, managing a set, recording sound, framing the shot, camera techniques, planning the documentary, costumes.
Post-Production: Editing for an audience, SFX.
Tools: Building your own, essential lenses, equipment for the no budget filmmaker, how to animate, gimbals.
Now in its 24th year, Fresh International Film Festival encourages young people from Ireland and overseas, aged 7 to 18 years, to create, exhibit and share films. The festival provides an opportunity for these young filmmakers to have their work seen on a cinema screen for the first time and to compete for the title of Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year. All films submitted are also considered for a range of Specialist Awards including the Radharc Trust Award (documentary), the Cartoon Saloon Animation Award, the RTE 60 Second Short Film Award and the RTE Factual Award, in addition to the International and Audience awards.
Fresh International Film Festival encourages young people to make films by hosting an annual international film festival for young people, presenting Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards, acting as an advocate for young filmmakers and promoting their work worldwide. Fresh Film runs a number of initiatives throughout the year, including a Hothouse programme designed to bring young people of different ages and diverse backgrounds together to share their film experiences and create new collaborative work, as well as distributing Irish films made by young people to festivals all over the world. The Arts Council of Ireland, Limerick City and County Council and RTE Supporting the Arts support the Fresh International Film Festival.
Keep an eye on the Fresh Film website and social media channels for updates.
Further details are available from www.freshfilmfestival.com.
