Four grass roots organisations which train young Scots for careers in film and television are to receive a £1 million cash boost from the Sean Connery Foundation, set up following the iconic actor’s death in 2020.
The beneficiaries are Govan’s The Portal Arts, Trongate-based GMAC Film, Screen Education Edinburgh, and Aberdeen’s Station House Media Unit. Collectively they work with young people across disadvantaged and marginalised communities to deliver media skills and offer creative outlets for aspiring filmmakers. Each organisation will receive funding for three years.
Announcing the awards today, Sir Sean’s son Jason Connery spoke about his father’s background in Edinburgh and his commitment to widening access for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“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,” he said. “By supporting access for passionate young people to the screen sector, no matter what their circumstances, we’d like to help dreams come true.”
Jason Connery at Glasgow's GMAC Film earlier this month
Commenting on the new awards, Foundation chair Stephane Connery, Sir Sean’s stepson, added: “The screen sector has enjoyed strong growth in recent years as more global productions choose to shoot their film and TV in Scotland, providing good jobs for industry-ready young people. Our screen-education grantees offer a wide variety of programmes 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.”
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The Sean Connery Foundation was established in 2022 by Sir Sean’s estate with the aim of funding organisations in Scotland and in the Bahamas, where the former James Bond star lived from the late 1990s until his death. Its mission statement is to “accelerate positive change in areas of interest and importance to Sir Sean and his family” by means of “strategic grant making to institutions and organisations”.
Previous recipients of grants have included the Scottish Youth Film Foundation, Dyslexia Scotland and the Scottish International Education Trust, established by Sir Sean in 1972 with the $1 million he earned for reprising his role as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever.
Welcoming the funding commitment, GMAC Film’s chief executive officer Euan Platt said: “This support will allow GMAC Film to sustain and develop its work across our wide range of programmes for young people, communities, and emerging film talent, and help ensure that more people – regardless of background – have the opportunity to use filmmaking as a way of conveying personal experiences, highlighting social issues, and telling powerful stories.”
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