Sir Sean Connery’s family to help young Scots to pursue a career in film and TV

Sir Sean Connery's family has revealed plans to distribute around £1 million from the film star's estate to help encourage young Scots to pursue a career in the film and TV industry.

Four projects across the country have been hand-picked to secure the backing of the new Sean Connery Foundation, which was launched in October to “honour the legacy” of the actor.

The Glasgow Media Arts Centre, Screen Education Edinburgh, the Station House Media Unit in Aberdeen and The Portal Arts in Glasgow will be supported over the next three years.

The family of the Edinburgh-born screen icon hope the funding will help capitalise on the “strong growth” seen the Scottish film and TV sector in recent years and encourage more young people to consider a career in the industry.The organisations have been selected for support due to their long-time commitments to offering a "hands-on" introduction to a huge variety of filmmaking roles including writing, producing, acting, editing, set design and costume-making.

Jason and Fiona Connery with David Barras and Scott Mackay of the Scottish Youth Film Foundation during a visit to Leith Theatre.

The foundation, which was launched on the second anniversary of Sir Sean passing away, announced an an initial £6 million worth of support for nine education and ocean conservation organisations based in Scotland and the Bahamas, where the actor lived for many years.

The foundation - which announced support for the Scottish Youth Film Foundation to support its education work in schools and outreach projects reaching students in need – was set up to "accelerate positive change in areas of interest and importance to Sir Sean and his family."

Sir Sean’s family said the four new new projects were all “focused on helping passionate young people create and share their stories” through their work, which would help participants develop the right skills, knowledge, confidence and connections to work in the industry.

Sir Sean’s son Jason, an actor, director and co-founder of the FirstStage Studios complex in Leith, said: “Before he was a globally recognised movie star, my dad was a lad from Fountainbridge, and he never once forgot that whilst talent might be distributed equally, opportunity is not.

Jason Connery and his wife Fiona during a visit to the Glasgow Media Arts Centre.

“By supporting access for passionate young people to the screen sector, no matter what their circumstances, we’d like to help dreams come true. We hope that young people with an appetite for visual storytelling and a curiosity about the many behind-the-scenes jobs that make movies possible, will reach out to our grantees and get involved.

Stephane Connery, Sir Sean’s son and chair of the foundation, said: “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.”

The Glasgow Media Arts Centre, which was instigated in 1982, is involved in youth work, film education, training, film commissioning schemes, open access screening events, outreach work, employability and community engagement.

Jason Connery with Screen Education Edinburgh course participants Gerlof Griesel and Rachel Mckinlay.

Chief executive Euan Platt said: “This support will allow us 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.”

Screen Education Edinburgh is said to be Scotland’s oldest filmmaking organisation, dating back to 1981, when it was launched as Pilton Video and best-selling author Irvine Welsh has been its patron since 2014.

It specialises in developing the skills of people from areas of deprivation and low-income backgrounds, those living with a disability, and those from diverse backgrounds.

Development officer Graham Fitzpatrick said: “We are incredibly thankful for the support from the Sean Connery Foundation in establishing a young filmmakers hub.

The Screen Education Edinburgh team with the Connery family.

“This will enable us to provide invaluable opportunities to young people between 12 and 18 who are passionate about filmmaking, regardless of their circumstances.

"The vision of the foundation resonates deeply with our organisation's mission. By supporting local talent and inspiring young people in the city where he grew up, the foundation is truly connecting with Sir Sean Connery's roots.

"We’re honoured to be representing Edinburgh in the foundation's funding portfolio and be part of its efforts to make a positive impact in Scotland's cultural and educational priorities.

“We look forward to making a meaningful impact in the lives of aspiring young filmmakers and creating a more inclusive and accessible film industry in Edinburgh and beyond.”

The Station House Media Unit works across seven regeneration areas in Aberdeen in areas like film and TV production, radio and podcast broadcasting, publishing and music production.

Chief executive Murray Dawson said: “This funding will allow us to turbo-charge our moving image programmes with young people, expanding existing successful programmes while introducing brand new initiatives co-designed alongside the young people who will directly benefit.

Course participants Christy Lauren and Erin Henderson at the Glasgow Media Arts Centre.

"This generous contribution will undoubtedly lead to raised aspirations of young people across the north-east, supporting them to realise careers in the filmmaking industry, whilst providing them with a transferable skillset that will also build their confidence and self-esteem. We can’t wait to see the impact this investment will have on the young people who participate.”

The Portal, an arts and media charity based in the Govan area of Glasgow, uses filmmaking as a tool for community engagement, to raise issues and represent local people. It recently launched a film production arm to focus on “impact filmmaking and bringing unheard voices to wider audiences.”

Chief executive Moya Crowley said: “We aim to break down barriers, challenge misconceptions, and enable access for young people by engaging them at an early stage of the filmmaking process, providing them with knowledge, skillset, and confidence, through the creation of short form filmmaking and impact producing, on a broad scale.”