Short films from Kilcullen Talented Kids in international competition

Conor Farnan plays lead in two films.

Students of the Talented Kids Performing Arts school in Kilcullen are keeping fingers crossed that they could win a trip to the famous Pinewood Film Studios in the UK, with one or more of three short films they have created, writes Brian Byrne.

The films are in contention in the international film festival, the Lift-Off First Time Filmmaker Sessions. During September their productions were in a public vote and the young film makers are currently waiting to see if they have got to the next round.

The lead in two of the films is played by Conor Farnan, a Third Year student at Cross and Passion College, and the other cast and crew members are also from the area.

The films are Bad Day which deals with bullying in schools, Moon Town is a fantasy looking on life on Earth from the viewpoint of animated stars, and Repression is a dark production about a group of teens residing in a mental health facility who decide to break out for one night. The films were among a number made to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Talented Kids in June. "Other years we had done shows and musicals and we wanted to do something different," says the school's founder Maureen Ward. While the films were made by older students, younger ones were helped to make music videos of their own songs.

Several of the films were directed by former TK student Jess Boylan, who now works in the industry. Professional camera and sound technicians were also involved, but all other activities such as location selection, set dressing, continuity, wardrobe and make-up were done by other students.

Conor Farnan says he particularly had a lot of fun playing a part where he was about to do something terrible, in Bad Day. "I just loved the raw emotion in it," he said.

A fuller version of this story will be published in next Tuesday's Kildare Nationalist.

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