The recipients of the 2021/22 dlr First Frames Awards are Simon and Soulmate Wanted.
Simon is a film about a self-destructive man who finds himself desperately trying to persuade his brother not to take his own life and that of his child's, all told over the phone and in real time. The creative team consists of director/writer Peter McCarthy; director/writer Ben Conway and writer Moe Dunford. They have teamed with Take Ten Productions - an award winning production company formed by Rob Earley and Mark Griffin in 2019 - to produce Simon.
Soulmate Wanted follows Gwen, a pedantic believer in all things mystical. Gwen has just received a sketch of her soulmate and determined to find love, she launches her own personal search campaign. Soulmate Wanted is an absurdist mockumentary tale about love, hope and loneliness in a pandemic. The creative team behind Soulmate Wanted is writer - Mary Kirwan, director - Zoë Brennan-Whitmore and producer - Gráinne Dwyer. The production company is Heritage (formerly known as Stori Creative).
Speaking about the dlr First Frames Award, the directors of Simon said:
Receiving the DLR First Frames short film scheme funding will enable us to create an extremely tense film that addresses the complexities of the devastating impact mental health issues have on our society today. It has awarded us the opportunity to make an emotionally driven yet thrilling story in current uncertain times, supporting us and fostering a space to allow us to create a film with a powerful message.
Zoë Brennan-Whitmore, director of Soulmate Wanted:
We are absolutely over the moon to be awarded the First Frames award. Every year this scheme produces incredible shorts and we are so honoured to be among them. We can't wait to bring Soulmate Wanted to your screens and share our beloved Gwen with the world.
dlr First Frames is fully funded by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Arts Office and Economic Development Unit, and managed by IADT. Funding is available through the scheme to support two short films with awards of up to €12,000 (VAT incl.) each. Mentoring support is provided by the National Film School, IADT with additional equipment and facilities from IADT. dlr First Frames Scheme 2021/22 supports emerging filmmakers looking to develop ambitious and creative short films based in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. dlr County Council works closely with the National Film School @ IADT on this programme.
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Information session, recorded 23rd June 2021
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