When I die and they cut me open they’ll find the Filmbase logo carved into my bones.
As a young man from a working class estate on Dublin’s Northside with dreams of getting into the film industry in the late 90s, it was an uphill battle to be taken seriously.
I knocked on many doors, only to find them closed to all but the chosen few. At least that’s how it felt at the time. Then I found Filmbase, a place where no matter your economic background, gender, colour, religion or persuasion, if you were passionate about film you were welcome.
It was run by a motley crew of film nerds who really knew their stuff and were on a mission to make film accessible to any and all comers. I had found my tribe.
My first funded film, A Dublin Story, was an RTE/Filmbase production. The people who worked on it have all gone on to become leaders in their fields in the Irish film industry. It was Robbie Sheehan’s first lead role, Russell Gleeson was the DP, Tamara Anghie produced, Edwina Forkin was EP. The crew were passionate and serious and in love with the art form. We won a ton of awards with it, and suddenly I was being taken seriously.
In the years since I have been lucky to have developed a career that has taken me all over the world. My films have sold to over 40 territories and been translated into several languages. I’ve won awards in numerous countries, I’ve been IFTA and Writers' Guild Award nominated. I’ve met and worked with thousands of talented and interesting people from every corner of the globe and every level of the industry. None of that would have been possible without the continued support of Filmbase.
As I progressed in my career I found I was able to give a little back. I served on the board of Filmbase, I was chairman for a time. I co-founded The Attic Studio, a free networking service for actors and filmmakers that held weekly workshops and script reading sessions. When we found ourselves without a venue to hold the workshops Filmbase stepped in and hosted us for years. Many of Ireland’s leading lights in the Arts developed their early work there and made professional and personal connections that have led to some incredible productions in film and theatre. None of that would have been possible without Filmbase.
In recent years I have been teaching and mentoring the students on the Filmbase Masters in Digital Filmmaking programme. I’ve seen young (and old) people flourish under the guidance of the staff and lecturers at Filmbase. Another generation of filmmakers that will contribute massively to the artistic landscape of our country. Many of the students wouldn’t have had the resources or knowledge to break into the industry without Filmbase.
So many of the large productions who come to our shores from the US, from Canada and the UK rely on local filmmaking talent to flesh out their crews. From camera assistants and focus pullers to sound recordists, production assistants and more, the talent pool in our indigenous workforce is a massive draw for these large companies. I don’t know many people working on these foreign productions who haven’t at some stage walked through the doors of Filmbase on their way to building their career. Actors and crew from my own Filmbase supported productions have worked on Game of Thrones, Vikings, The Tudors, Penny Dreadful, King Arthur, Saving Private Ryan, Omagh, Once, Braveheart, Reign of Fire, Ripper Street, Love/Hate, The Fall… The list goes on and on. Without Filmbase’s various short film and feature schemes, the opportunities for Irish crew to hone their craft will diminish to a point where it will seriously impact on our country’s appeal as a destination for major foreign production companies, studios and channels.
A list of the filmmakers who have had support from Filmbase reads like a who’s who of the Irish film industry. Lenny Abrahamson, John Moore, John Kearney, Kirsten Sheridan, Brendan Muldowney, Martina Niland, Daniel O’Hara, Darren Thornton, Neasa Hardiman Imogen Murphy, Mark O’Connor, Ben Cleary, Ian Power and many many more have all had funding, support or resources from Filmbase at a stage in their careers where they
Graham Cantwell on Filmbase's Closure
42 CinÉireann / March 2018