Background & Development
My name is Robert Manson. I’m a filmmaker from Redcross in Co. Wicklow. I set up Ballyrogan Films, an artist run film production company in 2015 to house my first feature film ‘Lost In The Living’.
Ballyrogan House is a 500-year-old farmhouse and the Arts Centre here was founded by my parents Andrew and Attracta Manson in 1979. Artists have been cohabiting on this site since 1981. Studio spaces were built in ruined outhouses and the main buildings were re-built over a ten year period. The recordings and old stories from the formation years of this Arts Centre form the basis of my most recent work which is supported by a Strategic Project Award from the Wicklow Arts Office in 2024. This funding allowed me to write a feature length experimental art documentary script and build a concise production pack around the story which I can now pitch to secure further production funding for the project. This is one of two of my film projects that were in receipt of the Strategic Project Award in recent years. Another project ‘Motte Stone’ received bursary funding in 2020 for script development etc. Motte Stone is now being prepared for full production in the county.
Bringing work out into the world
I grew up in Redcross and attended secondary school in Wicklow town. During university I spent ten years in Dublin and another four years in Berlin after graduating. Moving backwards and forwards to and from Wicklow is a familiar process. Travelling around the world, first with my short films and later with features, has had an incredible impact on my career. Meeting contemporary filmmakers, having masterclasses with leading figures in cinema, and most importantly speaking face to face with festival directors and programmers, leaves a lasting effect. Maintaining these relationships has always been a high priority. By attending festivals in person, being able to speak to people directly about the work and garner a larger perspective over the film industry is something that really needs to be experienced first-hand. It is not something that can really be told to you. As much as this describes an outward trajectory, Wicklow has always been the most important port of call on any journey either as a starting point or the place you’re always fighting to return to. This is reflected in the creative process. I’ve always found it necessary to plant and germinate new film projects at home in Wicklow. It might not be the case that all the films get made in the county but they’re always started and, more often than not, finished there. This process is also reflected in the continued help of funding bodies such as the Wicklow County Arts Office. Whether supported through successful applications for grant assistance with funding for the beginning, middle or end of a project, they are almost always there to help in some regard and I’m always indebted and grateful for this support; Thanks very much.
Adaptation in the market
During the pandemic lots of changes occurred in all of these processes. Most of the social aspects regarding film logistics both in the development, production and presentation of film moved online. In some regards this brought the film community together more than ever with film people, creative guidance personnel, development agencies and peers being more readily accessible through Zoom calls etc. Wide networks of contacts in the festival world that I’ve gathered in the past were renewed during this time, refreshed and shared with others in the form of online documents / excel sheets etc. It's easier now to mix and match shared tips, experiences and contacts with new and old film-making friends. I’ve spent a lot of time researching what might be deemed the top 150 film festivals worldwide that are accessible through open submission - without need to lobby or marketing machines to drive the work. This list is a google doc and I’ve shared it with numerous friends and other colleagues. My second feature film Holy Island (Authored Works - Arts Council of Ireland) was made between two lock downs in 2019, shot in County Wicklow and premiered at the Cork film festival in 2021. We effectively cast the film entirely on zoom calls and built the crew up in a similar fashion. I had to do all the location scouting alone and a number of other key group activities were also completed online before we were allowed to gather on set all together. It was a difficult process responding to all the new rules but we found our footing very quickly in compliance with the new SPI guidelines, Unions and working guilds of Ireland. Ultimately the process was tougher than usual but I think that made all the difference to the work as a whole. These new adaptations can now be seen across the board even with bursary allocation processes, meetings and discussions about projects on Zoom chats. Coming back to Wicklow, I have always valued time spent in the county and felt there’s a healing quality to being ‘home’ even if it’s just for a visit or to actively develop / finish or produce new projects. Bringing the work home to Wicklow has always been an integral part to the process. As a Wicklow writer/director, and having made numerous short films and one feature film already in the county, I’m very happy to continue to develop and produce new stories in Wicklow. This is a county that I’m very proud to come from and that I know very well. Artist support schemes in the county are the bedrock of fledgling and established artists. The Wicklow County Arts Office has been there at different stages for a number of my film projects. The Strategic Project Award is a highly sought after grant that provides essentials for new creative endeavours in the county; making complete works, finishing a project or, for initial development. Most important is the security the Award provides to the individual artists or groups, allowing a breather from the constraints and burdens of ‘real life’, helping us concentrate fully on new work. Breathable and liveable spaces, balanced time, and gaps in the daily routine are essential to creating new material.
What’s next?
Since forming Ballyrogan Films as a company we’ve made two short films, three feature films and a featurette. There are also two new feature films in the works that are both Wicklow stories and will be filmed in the county. With the help of agencies such as the Wicklow Arts Office, the Arts Council, Irish Film Institute, Culture Ireland and Irish Film Board - these projects have found fruition. Moving forwards I hope we can keep these greatly valued creative partnerships going and get this next round of films completed.
Biography
Robert Manson is a filmmaker based in Wicklow & Leipzig with 15 years’ experience working in contemporary art house cinema. Founder of Ballyrogan Films (2015), debut feature, Lost In The Living; (developed through MEDIA funded ENGAGE) had its world premiere at the Achtung Berlin Film Festival in April 2015, where it was presented with the 'Best Director' award. The film was later awarded finishing costs by the Irish Film Board and was picked up by German distribution UCM.ONE. It was released theatrically in the summer of 2018 and on VOD in 2019. Robert’s second feature ‘Holy Island’ was made under the Authored Works strand from the Arts Council of Ireland and had its world premiere at the 66th Cork Film Festival (2021). The film screened at festivals in India, Spain and the US and was released theatrically in Ireland in October 2022 and in Kino’s in Germany in May 2024 and VOD in June 2024. Recently completed experimental Documentary features; ‘Afternoon In June’ and Featurette; ‘Summer And Winter’ had world premieres in Genoa (Italy) & Ji.hlava IDFF (Czech) in October 2023. The two new films in development are ‘Motte Stone’ and the ‘Ballyrogan House’.
Selected Filmography
Lost in the Living (2015, feature)
Holy Island (2021, feature)
Afternoon in June (2023, Doc feature)
Summer & Winter (2023, Doc featurette)
Motte Stone (2024, feature in development)
The Ballyrogan House (2024, Doc feature in development)