2009 Awardee: Andrea Harkin

My thanks to the trustees for choosing to grant me a Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted and would like to accept the award.

Biography

Originally from Derry, Northern Ireland, and now based in Edinburgh, Andrea won a 2008 BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award, in the Best First-Time Writer category, for the short film ‘The Flyer’, which she both wrote and directed. The film was premiered subsequently at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, one of just four Scottish Shorts to be screened that year.

Andrea first studied drama at Queen Margaret University. She then joined the Pilton Video’s ‘From Script to Screen’ Shorts programme as a new director, eventually producing a powerful, funny and moving film short ‘Just Like Me’. Andrea is considered to be one of the very best talents to come out of Scotland over the past few years and, in the view of some, the best developing young female director in the country at this time.

Andrea has been offered a coveted place on the NFTS Masters course in Film Directing, where places are hugely competitive and are only offered to those who already have a track record in the film industry.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Andrea towards the considerable costs of the course. After a successful first year, Andrea’s funding was continued into the second year.

Since the Award

Andrea successfully completed her studies at NFTS in 2011, and according to her tutors, her graduation film, FOR MEGAN, made a powerful impact on the audience. Andrea writes, “I have learned so much about filmmaking, collaboration, and what needs to be done on a practical level to facilitate the creative possibilities. And that is precisely why I came to film school.” For more information about Andrea’s current work, see www.andreaharkin.net.

My thanks to the trustees for choosing to grant me a Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted and would like to accept the award.