Irish filmmaking’s gender imbalance has been the subject of much debate in recent years. The number of female-directed feature films in Ireland has hovered at around 20 per cent for the last couple of years and despite initiatives to change this, such as Screen Ireland’s 2015 six-point plan to redress gender imbalance, more needs to be done.
It is with this intention that X-Pollinator, a new initiative started by renowned film and television producer Katie Holly (Love and Friendship, Extra Ordinary, Sensation) and prolific theatre, arts and film producer Lara Hickey (Where We Live, THISISPOPBABY), began. The goal of X-Pollinator is to aid the creation and promotion of female-driven projects. The initiative hopes to be a catalyst for collaborations between female writing and directing talent in the Irish audiovisual industry – and intends to put women behind the lens rather than in front of it.
X-Pollinator’s first events will take place on November 2nd and 3rd, and December 7th and 8th, at the Lir Academy. X-Pollinator is currently accepting applications to participate from female writing and directing talent, both emerging and established. The welcomed applications may be from a variety of different disciplines such as film, theatre, literature, comedy and visual arts. Producers of any gender are welcome to apply.
These weekend events will be an opportune moment to take part in a carefully curated programme of talks, panel discussions, masterclasses and keynote speeches. Key industry figures, esteemed artists and professionals will be on hand to offer expertise and insight to inspire, inform and educate participants. The audiovisual industry can be difficult to navigate and these X-Pollinator weekends intend to address the creative side of the industry, while also addressing the mechanics of the business side of creative screen content.
X-Pollinator offers a welcome and much-needed opportunity for networking and for the fostering of connections between participants, in order to help pave the way for female creative teams of the future.
