The Sir Sean Connery Memorial Fund has awarded four new grants to Scottish film and television productions. Over the next three years, the initiatives will share £1 million from his estate with the Scottish Youth Film Foundation.
The foundation supports projects in Scotland and the Bahamas, the two locations Connery called home.
It was established in October 2022, precisely two years after the actor’s death at 90.
GMAC (Glasgow Media Arts Centre), The Portal Arts in Glasgow, Screen Education Edinburgh, and Station House Media Unit in Aberdeen are among the most recent Scottish initiatives centered on film and television training.
The late actor’s son Jason Connery stated, “Before he became a globally recognized movie celebrity, my father was a boy from Fountainbridge. He never forgot that although talent is distributed equally, opportunity is not.
“By supporting young people’s access to the screen industry, regardless of their circumstances, we hope to make their aspirations come true.
“We hope that young people with an interest in visual storytelling and an interest in the many behind-the-scenes jobs that make movies possible will reach out to our grantees and become involved.”
Foundation chairman Stephane Connery, another of Connery’s sons, added,
“The screen sector has witnessed strong growth in recent years as more global productions choose to shoot their film and television in Scotland, creating excellent employment opportunities for industry-ready youth.
“Our grantees in the field of screen education offer a wide range 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 all too often considered out of reach.”
The Sean Connery Foundation has already allocated over £6 million in the financing, including a grant to one of the actor’s other charities, the Scottish International Education Trust, which he established in 1971 using his Diamonds are Forever salary.
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