Limerick Filmmaker set to make ‘film of her dreams’ after winning €10,000 in National Talent Competition

Filmmaker Rachel McGill: Pictured is Rachel McGill, who has won a cash prize of €10,000 in a national talent competition, which she will put towards her final year project, a Fairytale-Esque horror film.

Limerick Filmmaker set to make ‘film of her dreams’ after winning €10,000 in National Talent Competition

Rachel McGill, a 21-year old Limerick native and a fourth-year student at the National Film School in Dublin, has been announced as the winner of the Talent Nation Showcase Competition in the Twenty Two in Dublin last week.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

Rachel, who has to create a graduate film completely self-funded as part of her final year in film school, won under the Film and TV category and is walking away with a cash prize of €10,000. Speaking about her win, Rachel said, “Winning really is a life-changing experience for me. I’m now able to truly express myself without financial worry. The event was amazing, there aren’t words to describe how it felt to win.” 

Talent Nation is one of Ireland’s leading talent directory and caters for actors, filmmakers, models, artists, photographers and much more. The competition has been running online since the start of August, in association with FM104 and has relied on both public vote and a judging panel.

Rachel has an extensive background in film making, with perhaps one of her most impressive accolades being that she is the only women to have ever been crowned ‘Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year’ at the Fresh International Film Festival, after winning in 2016 with her film ‘Poppies’, which won awards in the UK, US, and Europe.

Fresh Film and is an advocate for young filmmakers year-round and encourages young people to make films by hosting the annual Fresh International Film Festival which incorporates Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards. Fresh International Film Festival 2020 takes place in Limerick from March 23 – 28, 2020 and is open to young people from 7-18 years of age. The call for entries is now open for all young people, national and abroad to submit their applications.

Along with directing and producing short films, she is also working part-time as a runner in RTÉ studios. She has found producing short films very difficult since losing her mother over the past year after a long illness. Her mother was her greatest inspiration and while she has found it very difficult to make content, she is very determined and is constructively using her grief by basis her graduate film on her own experience.

Pictured at the Talent Nation Showcase Competition is Rachel McGill, Limerick native and winner of the Film and TV category.

Rachel said, “The film I want to create is a Fairytale-Esque horror film about a young girl who is pushed to the brink of madness while dealing with grief. The film is set on the west coast of Ireland in 1940s and is inspired by the folklore of the area. The second film is based on the time I spent as a teen caring for my mother in a cancer facility”.

“The film I want to make is a horror film about grief, I recently lost my mam to cancer and so I’ve drawn on my experience to create something to show the terror of losing someone. I found it hard to write anything after she died as I was so used to working with her and getting her opinion on my work but I think this is something she’d be excited for,” she added

She has been saving but struggling to get the amount she needs to fund her final year projects. The money will be used for costume/ production design, makeup, locations, actors, catering, crew expenses as well as distribution for the film once completed. 

She said, “Having the opportunity to create a film with a high budget gives me more creative freedom with my work. I won’t have to work within tight restraints and can release my full potential. Having the money then to distribute the film gives me the opportunity to have my work seen and build my name as a director.

Speaking about the film she wants to produce, she said, “It’s a great homage to my late mother Deirdre McGill who I know would be so proud of me. I’m feeling positive about what the future holds for me and I’m excited to see what comes next! she added.”

Rachel’s filmmaking career was kick-started by the Fresh International Film Festival and she credits her early on success to this. The call for entries for Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2020 is now open. The closing date for entries is Friday, January 24, 2020.

For more information about the Fresh Film Festival, click here.

For more information about Talent Nation, click here.

For more stories on Rachel McGill, click here.

Filmmaker Rachel McGill Filmmaker Rachel McGill