THE Sean Connery Foundation has announced four new grantees across Scotland in the film and TV industry.
The orgnisations selected will benefit from unrestricted funding over three years, with all four grants totalling approximately £1 million.
Each of the recipients, along with the Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF), announced in October 2022, support young people in developing the skills, knowledge, confidence, and connections needed for work the arts industry.
The organisations selected are Glasgow Media Arts Centre (GMAC), Screen Education Edinburgh (SEE), Station House Media Unit (SHMU), Aberdeen and The Portal Arts, Glasgow.
By supporting organisations focused on helping young people create and share their stories, the Foundation says it is "investing in a new generation of skilled storytellers and a creative workforce with the 21st-Century literacy capabilities vital to Scotland’s future".
The Sean Connery Foundation – announced in 2021 to coincide with the second anniversary of the James Bond star’s death – focuses on supporting education and ocean conservation projects in Scotland and Connery’s adopted home of the Bahamas.
Speaking on behalf of the Foundation’s work in Scotland, Jason Connery said: “Before he was a globally recognized movie star, my dad was a lad from Fountainbridge, and he never once forgot that whilst talent might be distributed equally, opportunity is not.
"By supporting access for passionate young people to the screen sector, no matter what their circumstances, we’d like to help dreams come true.
"We hope that young people with an appetite for visual storytelling and a curiosity about the many behind-the-scenes jobs that make movies possible, will reach out to our grantees and get involved.”
Foundation Chair, Stephane Connery, added: “The screen sector has enjoyed strong growth in recent years as more global productions choose to shoot their film and TV projects in Scotland, providing good jobs for industry-ready young people.
"Our screen-education grantees offer a wide variety of programs that introduce participants to the possibility of a career in screen production, often for the first time, and provide a clear path into an exciting industry that is too often considered out-of-reach.”
Each Foundation grantee delivers a hands-on introduction to film-making that spans the entire creative process, from writing, producing, and acting, to sound, lighting, set design, costumes, and editing, enabling participants to try out the wide variety of roles available in the screen industry.
In addition to accelerating interest of film & TV production careers, the Foundation’s grants portfolio aligns with Scotland's cultural and educational priorities.
Participants in the organisations' programs report gaining valuable organisational and collaboration skills, experience in both advocacy and narrative storytelling, and increased confidence, laying the groundwork for fulfilling careers within the creative industry, and beyond.
