Kildare County Council Arts Service Announces Recipient of Short Grass Film Commission Award 2026
Kildare County Council Arts Service is delighted to announce Emma Farrell and Frame It Productions as the recipients of the Short Grass Film Commission Award 2026. The award of €14,000 supports the production of a new short film in County Kildare and aims to encourage the development of film-making talent and film production within the county.
Written by Emma Farrell, directed by Kirsty Fogarty, and produced by Richie Kearney of Frame It Productions, A Place To Call Home is a 10-minute social realist drama filmed in County Kildare. Set on the Curragh and in a local primary school, the film follows two eight-year-old children, one newly homeless and the other displaced from Palestine, who run away to the Curragh in search of land from St Brigid. Through their journey, the film explores themes of belonging, friendship, faith and community.
Filming has begun on the Curragh Plains and at locations across County Kildare, showcasing the county's distinctive landscape while telling a story rooted in both local heritage and contemporary social issues. The team is made up of local cast and crew, with post-production to be completed by Frame It Productions in Sallins.
Emma Farrell is a Kildare-based writer whose work focuses on character-driven stories that explore social issues through an empathetic and accessible lens. She is joined on the project by director Kirsty Fogarty and producer Richie Kearney, an experienced filmmaker and founder of Frame It Productions, whose work spans award-winning short films, feature films and documentaries.
Announcing the recipients of the Short Grass Film Commission Award 2026, Éilis Lavelle, Arts Officer, Kildare County Council, said: "We are delighted to support Emma Farrell, Kirsty Fogarty and Frame It Productions through this year's Short Grass Film Commission. ‘A Place To Call Home’ is a thoughtful and ambitious project that combines a strong artistic vision with a compelling and timely story. The proposal demonstrated a clear commitment to filmmaking in County Kildare through its engagement with local locations, cast and crew, while exploring themes of belonging and community that resonate far beyond the county. We look forward to seeing the project develop and to supporting the continued growth of film production in Kildare."
A Place To Call Home will be completed later in the year.
