Kerry film makes it big at home and abroad
‘MAKING It,’ – a film written, directed and produced in Kerry – will have screenings around the county over the coming days.
Current and former trainees at the National Digital Skills Centre at Kerry ETB Training Centre in Tralee put the production together, and to celebrate their achievement, the film will appear in Listowel, Tralee and Killarney, with all profits going to Recovery Haven Kerry Cancer Support House.
The film opened the 2016 Kerry Film Festival, and audiences at the Dingle International Film Festival and Berlin’s Irish Film Festival have also savoured the film in recent weeks. The first screenings of its charity run take place tonight (March 29) in Listowel, Tralee and Killarney, with further screenings billed for Killarney and Tralee on Wednesday April 5.
The comedy features family man Mike McMahon (Seamus Hughes), who loses his job and enters a film-making competition in the hope of scooping a much-needed cash prize. His efforts soon land him in hot water on both sides of the law, resulting in shoot-outs in Listowel, car chases around Kerry and run-ins with plenty of interesting local characters.
“By any standards this was an ambitious undertaking by our former and current trainees, and it stands up to critical scrutiny,” Kerry ETB Training Centre Digital Production Course Instructor Brian Nolan said.
Former trainees Eamonn Norris and Fred O’Connor wrote ‘Making It,’ and developed the original story alongside Brian. Eamonn has since gone on to direct on TG4’s Ros Na Rún, while Fred works with Brown Bag Animation studios in Dublin.
The film showcases Seamus Hughes, Moya Farrelly, Elaine Kennedy, as well as a selection of Kerry acting talent, and Brian took The Kerryman through the logistics of the ambitious project.
“The logistics and challenges involved in making a full-length feature film are daunting. You’ve to find a good story, write a good script, audition a cast – mainly amateurs from Kerry – before finding locations,” he said.
“We also had to secure Garda co-operation at times, particularly when the plot moved on to a bank robbery and shoot-out in Listowel!
“It was a huge exercise in professional co-operation from all the key areas: lighting, camera operators, sound technicians and production.”
Screenings take place tonight at 6.30pm at Tralee Omniplex, Cinema Killarney, and at 8pm Classic Cinema Listowel. Tralee and Killarney will again screen at 6.30pm next Wednesday (April 5). You can pay on the night, but it’s possible to book tickets for the Killarney and Tralee screenings online.
Further information is available at www. facebook.com/MakingItTheMovie.