FilmOffaly was established in 2008 as a Film Commission with the primary focus to promote Offaly as a filming location and to facilitate filming enquiries and opportunities. FilmOffaly also offers an annual award of 10,000 euro towards the production of a short film.  The funding aims to foster creative, resourceful filmmaking in the county, creating opportunities for talented new filmmakers and professionals to develop unique, original stories in film. Since its inception the award has supported over 12 film-making teams to produce short films shot on location in Offaly.

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The successful team have expressed their delight of being awarded the funding. Award winning writer and director Jason Branagan said ‘I'm delighted to be a part of the team bringing Mark Conway's script to life. 'A Simple Killing' is a taut thriller that gripped me from first read, and it's been a lot of fun working with Mark, Emer, Brian and Mark De Carreau in developing the film’.

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Script writer Mark Conway explained how he got the team together as part of the application process for the award, ‘After I watched the fantastic award winning short Bruise, I knew I had to get Western Front Studios (Brian & Emer Durcan) involved with my short A Simple Killing for Film Offaly and was delighted when they came on board. They brought with them Mark De Carreau, an actor and producer who has worked on multiple shorts including the award-winning Calf and director Jason Branagan who’s no stranger to short films and who has credits including Eastenders, Fair City and most recently the short Picture Day also with Western Front Studios. I just want to thank them all because without them none of this would of been possible’.

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Offaly County Council Arts Office are delighted to be working with such a talented team under the production of Emer and Brian Durcan (Western Front Studios) and Mark de Carreau, producer, who said ‘We are extremely grateful to Film Offaly for choosing us to produce this project. It's exciting that Mark Conway should get his first script produced and that we are the ones to do it. Under Jason's direction we are hoping to make a film that is worthy of Oscar selection’.