Low-budget Irish show nominated for Emmy

An Irish-made TV series turned down for State funding has been nominated for a prestigious Emmy award.

Beat Girl — which was rejected by Irish Film Board “with a very nice no” — has been shortlisted in the children’s section.

Director Máirtín de Barra and producers Triona Campbell and Nuno Bernardo will travel to New York for the awards ceremony in February.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Mr de Barra, 37, who lives in Loughshinny, Co Dublin.

“I got the phone call last night from the producer and I didn’t believe her. My hands were trembling as I tried to ring my wife.”

Beat Girl was first made in 2012 as a low-budget film and re-cut and re-edited as a TV series, online webisodes called The Beat Girl Diaries, and a popular Pinterest project for the social network site. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Irish writer Jasmina Kallay.

The film and series stars Louise Dylan as Heather, a classical pianist in London who finds herself in the world of DJing after the death of her mother.

Shot over four weeks in Dublin and three days in London, it features originalmusic from several unsigned Irish bands and DJs.

The TV show was aired on US subscription channel Hulu and on Israelitelevision over Christmas, making it eligible for the Emmy nomination.

Ms Campbell said the film was made “on a wing and a prayer”.