Ken Wardrop (Ireland)

Ken Wardrop has recently completed his studies at the National Film School, IADT-DL. During his time at film school, Ken specialised in directing documentary film. His films include the awarding winning shorts Dampened Spirits, Love is Like a Butterfly and Useless Dog. He has also won the O2 Student Film of the Year Award for the last two consecutive years. He has co-founded the production company Venom Film with his former classmate Andrew Freedman and they are currently developing both short and feature projects. Wardrop seems to be a genuine filmmaker with a wonderful cinematic sensibility and an instinctive feel for what makes engaging cinema. His images are rich in visual flair, often arresting, always beautifully shot and composed - even in the documentary sequences. And his subjects are fresh and intriguing, from the seemingly banal but quietly humorous portrait of a 'not quite up to scratch' farmyard dog (Useless Dog), to the rarely spoken of subject of male circumcision - simply titled Ouch! - to the startling images of the ample, elderly and cheerily naked woman, who is the subject of Undressing My Mother.