Press

Splanc!

01.02.16

After a highly competitive selection process the following filmmakers have now been commissioned: Tadhg O’Sullivan’s Solas Céad Bliain will explore how different Irish artworks have used light as a motif;  Oonagh Kerney’s Oíche Nollag na mBan is inspired by Seán Ó Ríordáin’s well known poem and aims to capture the powerful energy of the work in a highly visual treatment; Fergal Ward’s and Adrian Duncan’s Bungalow Bliss will offer a radical reappraisal of the humble bungalow and its importance in Ireland’s architectural heritage; Dónal Ó Céilleachair’s Ailiu Iath n-hErend (Invoking Ireland) draws its inspiration from the ancient collection of poems, The Songs of Amergin, which, according to legend, contain the first words of Irish ever heard on the island of Ireland.

Megs Morley’s and Tom Flanagan’s Allagóirí Chumhachta (Allegories of Power) will explore the significance of stone statues found throughout Ireland and their relationship to our political history and our collective memory; Pat Collins will bring us into the beautiful, immersive paintings of Co Tyrone’s William McKeown in Idir Neamh agus Talamh: Saothar William McKeown; Sharon Whooley’s Imogen Stuart Dealbhóir will explore the powerful work of German-Irish sculptor Imogen Stuart; and filmmaker Art O’Briain will invite us into The Souvenir Shop, a playful exhibition by artist Rita Duffy which gathers together a collection of unique objects with a sense of irony, history and mischief.

These eight films will be of three to five minutes in duration, will have a budget of €12,500 each and will all screen on TG4 as single films and as a combined one hour film from Easter weekend 2016 onwards. The scheme is administered by Galway Film Centre on behalf of TG4 and the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, Commissioning Editor, TG4 said “As part of TG4’s response to marking one hundred years of the birth and development of our state, we are delighted to present these very varied films to celebrate Ireland’s extraordinary and multi-layered connection with the arts, and their relevance to our daily lives, and to offer a súil eile perspective on aspects of that landscape”.

Fionnuala Sweeney, Head of Film, the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon said: “The Arts Council is delighted to support the making of these films. Each film is an individual creative response to an aspect of the arts in Ireland and together they enable the public to engage in a unique way with the legacy of 1916 in art”.

 Declan Gibbons, Manager of Galway Film Centre, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the calibre of filmmakers that applied for this scheme, and we’re delighted to announce that eight highly gifted filmmakers have been selected, across a wide breadth of the arts, for this special 2016 Splanc!”