A PARTEEN film production company is in the frame for two awards at the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards (IFTAs), writes Dan Danaher.
Carbonated Comet Productions has earned the nominations for the IFTAs, which will be broadcast on Virgin Media One this Saturday, March 12 at 8:30pm.
The annual event, which celebrates the best and brightest talent in the world of Irish film and television, has had many prestigious former winners including Jim Sheridan, Amy Huberman, Lenny Abrahamson and Saoirse Ronan to name but a few.
Now Parteen film makers, Greg Burrowes, (34) and his colleague Ronan Cassidy, who set up Carbonated Comet Productions in 2017 are hoping to win an IFTA of their own after two of their films were nominated in the “Live Action Short Film” category.
“Harvest” follows a farmer who struggles with his mortality following a near fatal heart attack.
The film was written and directed by Tristan Heanue and stars Lalor Roddy, Marie Mullen, Gary Lydon and Brendan Conroy.
Ronan Cassidy produced the film, and he is delighted with the nomination.
“Harvest was a great film to work on. We had an incredible cast and crew and great local support which made working on this film a joy. I’m so happy to see Harvest get this nomination,” he said.
“Ship of Souls” follows a father who struggles to come to terms with loss following the sudden death of his son in a car crash. The appearance of someone from his past forces him attempt to find peace in a most unexpected way.
The film stars Cathy Belton, who is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the Limerick/Clare shot ‘Hidden Assets’), Lorcan Cranitch and Clare Uchima.
It was shot in Castlegregory during October 2020.
Writer/director Jean Pasley lived in Japan for a number of years where she witnessed Obon, the annual Japanese Festival of the Dead.
She was deeply moved by the festival, which inspired her to write Ship of Souls. She explains that essentially it’s a film about different ways of dealing with loss and grief.
“It is also about the way different cultures think about the dead. It offers hope to anyone who has suffered loss.”
This short film was produced by Greg Burrowes, who is thrilled with this nomination.
“I am over the moon to have been nominated for an IFTA. We worked immensely hard to bring Jean’s script to screen and to have this kind of recognition from the Irish Film and Television Academy is amazing.
“We are nominated alongside some incredible Irish film making talent, so Ronan and I are both extremely proud.”
Greg was delighted to work with Jean on the film.
“I was immediately struck by how heartbreaking but elegant the story was. The funding that Kerry County Council provided us to make the film, allowed Jean to craft a powerful story about loss, grief and the search for redemption, themes that have universal appeal.”
“Harvest” and “Ship of Souls” were funded through the Kerry Film Bursary.
Ronan and Greg’s most recent short film “Water Under the Bridge”, directed by Discovery Award winner Rehan Ali, just premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival and was broadcast on Virgin Media One recently.
Greg was celebrating recently when “Ship of Souls” won the Best Irish Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival in Derry.
This award is both Oscar and BAFTA qualifying meaning that ‘Ship of Souls’ went on the longlist for best short film at the annual Academy Awards in California.
Born in Limerick, Greg grew up in Parteen, attended Parteen National School, studied in Limerick Senior College before completing radio in Ballyfermot and his Masters in Film Theory in Trinity College, Dublin, where he lived for ten years.