Photo credit: Irish Examiner

How cools is Ella Nethercott,? This 17-year old (yes you read that right!) Dubliner has just claimed the title of Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year at Fresh International Film festival 2021 with ‘Learning to Dance Like a Bird‘.

Ella’s short film ‘Learning to Dance Like a Bird‘, was chosen out of 1,200 submissions. What an achievement! Her short is about a girl, Eddie, who is trying to balance her love life all while dealing with mental health struggles, in this case, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Ella says “It was an absolute honour to win Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year. I’m extremely proud of myself and of how much I have grown throughout this process.”. Ella seemed to have had an incredible experience during the entire process and deserves the recognition she is receiving.

Eddie, the main character played by Erin O’Neil-Bailey, took Ella a lot of time to develop as she was a character that was very special to her. She wanted to make her relatable and discuss real topics that young people face on a daily basis.  Ella also beautifully incorporated the reality of the hardship young people face with their mental health while trying to figure out how to be a teenager.

Well, we don’t know about you but we are mighty impressed by this girl! Watch out Spielberg, Ella Nethercott is coming for your job!

You can watch “Learning to Dance Like a Bird” below x

 

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