CULTURE – The Oscars Cemented Northern Ireland’s Film Industry as One to Watch
Lea Carson
As with many 2021 events, the 2021 Oscars were slightly different than usual.
Some guests arrived in masks, some tuned in virtually from England and ceremony guests were limited. Alongside this, some awards didn’t go quite as we might have expected. In arguably the biggest shock of the night, Anthony Hopkins clenched the Best Actor award, which had been largely tipped to go to the late Chadwick Boseman, for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Hopkins, who earned his award for his performance of an elderly man with dementia in The Father was majorly surprised by the accolade, sending in a video from the idyllic Welsh countryside to accept the Oscar.
But, a standout locally grown film, Wolfwalkers, was nominated in in the Best Animated Feature category. The Irish-made film was released in October 2020 on Apple TV+. The story is set in Ireland and follows a wolf hunter and her father as they hunt down the last remaining wolfpack in Ireland. The writer and director, Tomm Moore, was born in our very own Newry, Northern Ireland.
Aside from Wolfwalkers, Moore has made two other Irish mythology films. Wolfwalkers has received numerous accolades and widespread critical acclaim, with the Oscars nomination cementing the film’s success. Despite the fact that Wolfwalkers was not victorious on Sunday night, the nomination should still be celebrated as a great success for local Irish film.
As the film’s roots are so local, the nomination has highlighted the great potential of the Irish film industry and brought greater attention to the state of our local film industry here in Belfast which in 2018 was valued at £270m.
Queen’s students are fortunate to be situated in a city of up-and-coming promise for film and TV production. Studios in Belfast are continuing to attract large numbers of production companies to utilise their facilities including Titanic Studios – which was most famously used for the notoriously successful, Game of Thrones.
On Tuesday, Netflix started filming their movie adaption of Charlize Theron’s highly anticipated School of Good and Evil. As well as this, major stars – including the highly sought-after Regé-Jean Page – are currently arriving in Belfast to begin production on Dungeons and Dragons. With such high-level films and series choosing Belfast as their base, it is no surprise that Northern Ireland is fast becoming a staple filming location in the international industry.
It is clear that the state of local film industry is on the rise. But with Covid-19, many realised just how fragile the industry is, especially in a more local sense.
So, what can be done to nourish this important industry?
For a start, such an industry cannot survive with no government input. Government support is imperative to keep the film industry afloat. Without it, new investors and production companies are unlikely to be attracted to Northern Ireland. Stormont must therefore continue to provide funding to the Northern Irish film industry and continue to invest in promotion of Northern Irish studios as a priority.
Coupled with this, local talent should also be championed.
Local drama groups and projects are a perfect example of what can be achieved by Northern Irish filmmakers. This can be highlighted through the work of Kids in Control, a Belfast-based drama company who work with young people. The high-level films produced by Kids in Control are created and filmed by Northern Irish young people. They also star in the films, and the talent of these young people is hard to miss.
If you are a student sitting somewhere in Northern Ireland right now. Why not get involved in local film?
One Sunday afternoon I was inspired, and I spontaneously decided that my ambition is now to end up in at least one film or TV show in my lifetime. I’m not talking as the main protagonist or love interest. No, I mean as the best role going. An extra. Who wouldn’t love to be sitting in the background of a high-level action scene, or pretending to laugh at an actor’s joke?
With the up-and-coming film industry in Northern Ireland, there are a huge number of extras opportunities available. I signed up to the largest extras firm in Northern Ireland at the moment, ExtrasNI.
The application process is short and sweet and before you know it you have created your very own extras profile. Availability checks are then sent out to actors who fit casting calls, and if you are available, you can be cast as an extra in loads of exciting film projects across Northern Ireland. Having this exciting new opportunity is yet another sign of optimism for the local film industry, with a whole new avenue of work and experience opening up for us here in Northern Ireland.
With greater attention and further funding, the Northern Irish film industry can blossom and advance into something huge. Hopefully, this industry will become a major sector of the Northern Irish economy that will thrive for many years to come.
Lea Carson is a second year International Studies and Politics student at QUB