Screen Ireland supports social enterprise GORM in empowering diverse storytellers for second year

Supported by charity and community partners, Dublin's GORM announces 'The WideShot programme' to be returning for its second year. The initiative comes from discussions about the importance of diversity and representation within Ireland's media landscape.

Partnering with organisations such as Black and Irish, Irish Refugee Council, Amal Women's Association, Africa Centre, Irish Traveller Movement, Glencree Peace and Reconciliation Centre, Doras, and Limerick West Resources, GORM aims to teach young individuals aged 18-25 through the WideShot Programme. This initiative offers workshops, training sessions, mentorship opportunities, and engaging events focusing on digital storytelling and creative multimedia skills.

Mamobo Ogoro, Founder and CEO of GORM, said, "We're absolutely thrilled for the second year of the WideShot programme. With a growing urgency to highlight diverse stories and unify across differences through the art of storytelling, this programme is now needed more than ever. At GORM, our mission is to unify across differences through intercultural consultancy and engagement in the creative sector, and this programme not only enables young individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds to tell their stories through the medium of creative media, it provides pathways for an industry that needs to truly represent contemporary Ireland.”

I am so proud of us!

Thank you @ScreenIreland for supporting the storytellers of tomorrow. We will continue #TheWideshot community based workshops in 2024 with diverse communities in Ireland!

Read More: https://t.co/lwVTvvEnkp https://t.co/cYuEddgBAT

— Mamobo Ogoro (@Mamobo96) August 4, 2023

Supported by funding from the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme by Screen Ireland, The National Anti-Racism Fund by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the YPCE Arts Grants by the Arts Council of Ireland, the initiative has received praise from Colman Farrell, Head of Skills and Professional Development at Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, who commended the initiative, saying,

“We are delighted to support GORM for this year’s edition of the Wideshot programme. Talent and skills development are central to Screen Ireland’s strategy for supporting new and diverse creative storytelling voices. This collaborative and community-led initiative will offer young creatives from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to develop their own unique artistic vision and hone their storytelling skills for the screen. We look forward to seeing their progress and wish them all the best.”

GORM candidates aged 18-25 in Limerick, Galway, or Dublin, interested in filmmaking, digital storytelling, and content creation, can participate in their 6-part community workshops. These workshops cover subjects ranging from storytelling to mobile journalism.

Participants can apply for the summer residency, the next stage of The WideShot, where they can create a short film. Previous participant Fatoumata Gandega shared her experience, and said, "I will leave with the fact that I have a community now, people I trust, people that I want to collaborate with in the future, people that I want to see involved."

Those interested can sign up for The WideShot via the Participant Interest Form until April 7th.

For more information and to apply, please visit: https://www.gormmedia.com/the-wideshot