New campaign aims to boost film, TV production in midlands

A new campaign to encourage film and television production in the midlands has been launched by by FilmOffaly.

Red Rock actor and Tullamore native Darragh O'Toole features in the video which was directed by Bob Gallagher who was recently awarded the Radar Music Videos Best Young Director Award. Darragh is also in the 2016 film A Date for Mad Mary.

Both are alumni of previous projects by FilmOffaly, which is the county’s film commission and a project of Offaly County Council.

O'Toole commenced his acting career in the short film Toy Soldiers which was made with a bursary from FilmOffaly while Gallagher won an OFFline challenge - a filmmaking competition set up by FilmOffaly - in 2010.

FilmOffaly started in 2008 with the aim of encouraging more production in the county following the success of the television series Pure Mule.

One of its early projects was the establishment of a bursary for short films which had to be made in the county.

Actor Domhnall Gleeson was the first recipient for his short film Noreen which starred his father Brendan and brother Brian and was filmed in Banagher.

The film went on to win multiple awards at film festivals at home and abroad.

Previous films and television made in the area include Pure Mule, Eden, Garage, The Tudors, You're Ugly Too, Becoming Jane and A Nightingale Falling.