Finglas filmmaker makes Ireland’s top five

A SHORT movie made by a student filmmaker from Finglas was chosen as one of the top five documentaries in the country at the recent National Student Media Awards.

Jamie Jay Carr’s ‘This Is Me’ was nominated in the TV Production of the Year category at the awards known as The Smedias, which are effectively the Oscars for Irish media students.

The film focuses on individuality and features three Northsiders with unusual hobbies; a girl who loves to hang out in graveyards, a wrestling fanatic and a guy who’s barmy about budgies.

Jamie, who studies at Colaiste Dhulaigh in Coolock, says he was delighted with the nomination and the opportunity to mingle with some of Ireland’s top media creatives at the awards.

“We didn’t expect to win because our documentary was a bit out there,” he tells Northside People. “But it was great to make the top five because that was our first documentary.

“It was a great night and what I noticed was that you have to be a certain type of person to be involved in media. You have to be a bit of a weirdo, and I think I fit in perfectly!”

Jamie choose the topic of individuality because he says that while everybody is different, it’s this that actually makes us all the same at the end of the day.

“I wanted to show the most obscure people that I could find locally,” he continues. 

“I wanted to show that while you might think what they do is a bit weird, they are actually normal people.”

While ‘This is Me’ is not Jamie’s first attempt at filmmaking, he acknowledges that it’s technically more accomplished than much of his previous work.

That work features several comedy shorts, including a self-parody of his prosthetic leg called One Legged Rapper, as well as more serious work with local groups including mental health campaigners at the Andy Morgan Foundation.

“Over the last couple of years I’ve improved the video producing end of things,” he says.

 “That’s down to Colaiste Dhulaigh and also locking myself away for days and learning from YouTube videos made by 12-year-olds!”

Jamie, who is also a radio presenter, is determined to succeed with his media talents and recently turned down commercial work related to media so he can focus on perfecting his trade.

“It was a really tough decision because I’m still not making any money and that was a chance at decent, steady income but I want to continue on this journey,” he says. Jamie is grateful to all those who have helped him along that journey, including the Andy Morgan Foundation who have allowed him to make poignant, deeply personal shorts about the impact of suicide.

“I own them a lot,” he says. “I learned loads about interviewing people, recording on the spot and how the core message is so important.”

Jamie will be finishing in Colaiste Dhulaigh this summer and while a short horror movie is in the pipeline, he’s still mulling over what direction to take in media.

But wherever he ends up, Jamie is determined to remember his Finglas roots and hopes he can inspire others to believe in themselves.

“I think a lot of people growing up around here feel that things like filmmaking, radio presenting or being nominated for top media awards is not for people from Finglas,” he says. “That attitude is kind of accepted around a lot of Northside areas, but I hope people might see that I’m from Finglas, I have a disability and I’m doing it, so why can’t anybody else?”