A community organisation in Aberdeen has received £480,000 from the Sean Connery Foundation.
Station House Media Unit (Shmu) will receive funding from the charity, founded by the late actor’s estate in 2022, which will come to a total of about £1 million over the next three years.
It was recently awarded £480,000 from the foundation – which will be used to create three new positions in the film and TV team.
The Aberdeen-based organisation has been chosen alongside three other Scottish grantees who all support young people to develop the skills and knowledge needed to work in the film and TV industry.
They will use the money to continue supporting residents in seven regeneration areas of the city through creative fields.
‘Transforming lives’ through film and media
The organisation has a range of activities under way, or in the pipeline, with a focus on young people aged 11 to 18.
The most recent addition is the Summer Film School open to 14 to 17 year olds which will show them the entire process from concept creation to final screening in a week-long project.
Funding will also help the organisation run a Young Filmmakers club.
Murray Dawson, founder and chief executive of Shmu, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected by the foundation for this award as it aligns perfectly with our core values: transforming the lives of young people from disadvantaged communities through creative film and media.
“This funding will allow us to turbocharge our moving image programmes with young people across the region; expanding existing successful programmes while introducing brand new initiatives co-designed alongside the young people who will directly benefit.
“This generous contribution from the foundation will undoubtedly lead to raised aspirations of young people across the north-east, supporting them to realise careers in the film-making industry, whilst providing them with a transferable skillset that will also build their confidence and self-esteem.
“We can’t wait to see the impact this investment will have on the young people who participate – and to watching all the great films they’ll be making along the way.”
Helping make ‘dreams come true’
Shmu, and the other grantees – Glasgow Media Arts Centre, Screen Education Edinburgh and The Portal Arts in Glasgow – each deliver a “hands-on” introduction to film-making which gives participants the opportunity to try out a variety of roles.
The Sean Connery Foundation aims to support this by investing in a new generation of creatives so they can build up the first steps of their careers.
Sir Sean’s son Jason Connery said: “Before he was a globally recognised 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.”
Stephane Connery, the foundation’s chairman and Sir Sean’s step-son, 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.”
Conversation