Carrick-on-Suir students' film wins top award at international festival

Caption for picture above: Back row: Teacher Ms Diane Hyde, Liam Dunne, Noah Delaney, Max Doyle, teacher Ms. Maeve Kennedy, Front: Zofia Coughlan, Maya Foran, Tereza Lyons, Charlotte Home, Eimear Commins, Isobel Corcoran Szymanski. (Missing from pic: Scott O’Brien, Katelyn Murray and Amelia Quinn)

A group of Carrick-on-Suir Transition Year students won the top short film award in the Catalyst International Film Festival in Limerick City’s Belltable Arts Centre & Theatre for their film - Informed.

This was Comeragh College’s first entry into the competition, making the win even more special, particularly as they faced stiff competition from seven other secondary schools.

The 12 students’ journey to success began last November when they won an opportunity to take part in a film workshop. This was facilitated by the award-winning Emmet Kelly from Burning House Productions.

The students came up with the idea for their film entry and with Mr. Kelly’s assistance they wrote their script. The film was based on the theme of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

After-auditions for the main parts, filming began. Those students who were not members of the cast had responsibility for lights, cameras, sound and direction.

The Afternoon of Film in the Belltable on April 3 began with a Meet the Industry panel, giving students the opportunity to learn about the different roles that exist in the film industry. They heard from a camera operator, a film director and an editor to name but a few.

This panel was followed by the main event – the first ever screening of the students’ short films. There was significant excitement as none of the schools had seen the final, completed products.

The Comeragh College group were thrilled to see the outcome of their hard work on the big screen.

To top off this wonderful experience, the Comeragh College students were announced as the winners of the short film competition, resulting in raucous cheers and applause as they trooped on stage to collect their prize.

Comeragh College said taking part in this competition was a privilege for each of the students involved and is certainly one of the highlights of their TY experience.

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