Indie fest honours young filmmaker
Festival bosses unveiled details yesterday of the Ronan Phelan Script Award which aims to help and encourage emerging filmmakers.
It will see the IndieCork Festival oversee the production in Cork every year of the winner’s short film — with established filmmakers providing their expertise and time voluntarily to crew the film. Ronan’s family said they were delighted and honoured that his spirit will live on through the competition.
Festival boss, Mick Hannigan, described it a fitting memorial which will help develop film talent in Cork.
“We look forward to the live script reading of the Ronan Phelan Award becoming a highly-anticipated event each year at IndieCork.
A pupil of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Bishopstown, Ronan graduated from UCC before studying film in St John’s Central College. While a student there, he wrote and directed Gangs of Waterfall, a widely-praised film which went on to win the Best Made in Cork award at the former Cork Film Festival in 2001, raising the bar for film-making in the region. Ronan was tipped for greater things but tragically, he died suddenly in 2004, aged just 29.
Devising the script award was a labour of love for film-maker and IndieCork Festival committee member, Niall Owens, who was a friend of Ronan’s while they both studied at St John’s.
“The Gangs of Waterfall is a great inspiration to me. When I am asked to recommend shorts to watch, it’s always top of my list.
“In light of the absence of a script-writing award in Cork, I felt the right opportunity had come along to remember and pay tribute to Ronan. This award aims to encapsulate all the goodwill and good vibes we shared in our time together in college, and it will pay tribute to a truly talented film maker, a person who always had a smile and a story, not to mention his pants tucked into his socks,” Niall said.
“With this initiative, Ronan can continue to be part of film-making in Cork.”
Filmmakers have now been invited to enter their script for the award.
Their films must be between eight and 12 minutes long. Shortlisted scripts will be presented at a live reading in front of a panel of judges and an audience during the Festival which runs from October 12 tom 19.
