Kildare teenager makes it through to Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year competition

A Kildare teenager has made it through to Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year competition with a film about the global pandemic.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Boland from Lexlip was named as a Leinster finalist in the competition as part of Fresh International Film Festival. The Leinster regional heats took place online this year due to the global pandemic and Liam’s short film ‘Distanced’ was selected for the national finals.

The impact of the current global pandemic on young people was a recurring theme for the films entered in this year’s Festival and this year’s crop of entries shine a light on how young people have been affected, directly and indirectly, by the pandemic. Every film entered proved to be unique in its own way, but they all shared a common message - the need to protect and keep their loved ones safe. This year’s submissions were as always creative and diverse, with many young filmmakers involving their family members as cast and crew in their films.

Liam made a coming of age drama called ‘Distanced’ about a couple trying to develop their relationship during lockdown.

At age 14, Liam’s journey as a filmmaker began when he joined a film club, Kildare Young Filmmakers. Last September he began attending the television and digital film course at Ballyfermot College of Further Education.

Liam said, “Fresh Film has been a great environment for me to showcase my films, network, learn, and most importantly get inspired. Fresh Film continues to push filmmakers to do their best. This is the third year I am submitting independent short films. I made this short film not only for my college assignment, but because it had been so long since I had written and shot a film and I was going mad not being able to be creative. Covid-19 has made it impossible for me to tell a story without mentioning Covid, so I decided to make one where Covid was at the centre of it. I was limited to the type of film I could make, so I chose to focus on a couple who were trying to develop their relationship without contact. I liked this idea because it had never been done before, and the source of conflict was very strong. I was restricted to who I could cast in my film as well, so my family and classmates were the only choices I had, and they turned out to be great.”

He added, “I ended up casting a classmate Ruarí Corrigan and his girlfriend Molly Reynolds. This ended up working so well for the production as their chemistry really came across on screen. Shooting lasted two days and was a really enjoyable experience and I am thrilled my film has made it to the Fresh finals.”

Jayne Foley, Founder and Artistic Director of Fresh Film said, “The films entered this year in the Festival are a glimpse into how young people in Ireland are dealing with the challenges of the pandemic. Films are a powerful form of expression and an effective way to educate, create awareness, improve understanding and encourage action. Lockdowns during the pandemic have forced young people to come to terms with a new way of living life. What surprised me about this year’s crop of pandemic themed films was how positive the films were and how resourceful young people can be. This year’s Festival is introducing the world to a new generation of young film innovators highlighting how they are living and coping with global health issues.”

About Fresh Film:

Fresh Film encourages young people to make films by hosting an annual international film festival for young people, presenting Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards, acting as an advocate for young filmmakers and promoting their work worldwide. 

Fresh International Film Festival invites young people from Ireland and overseas, aged 7 to 18 years, to create, exhibit and share films. The festival provides an opportunity for these young filmmakers to have their work seen on a cinema screen for the first time and to compete for the title of Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year. All films submitted are also considered for a range of Specialist Awards.

Fresh International Film Festival 2021 takes place Monday, March 22 to Sunday, March 28 and features an alumni showcase and a week of film screenings and workshops with the Junior Finals taking place on Thursday, March 25 and the Seniors Finals on Friday, March 26 via a YouTube live stream with presenter and documentary filmmaker Stephen Byrne and comedian and social creative Justine Stafford hosting this year’s awards. See www.freshfilmfestival.com for more info.