By Luke Courtney

A new filmmaker has entered the scene - 16-year-old Glen Bowler - and he’s in the process of something special.

NEW FILM: 16-year-old Glen Bowler from Killarney is in the process of making a new film.

The young filmmaker and photographer is currently making a short film which will be submitted into the Fresh Young Filmmakers competition.

‘The Legend of Patrick Greenwood’ is approximately 10 minutes long and is undergoing production. There are many local actors in the film, including Danny and Mikie Galvin, Don Rohan and Ellen O’Shea. However, the main focus comes in the directing and scriptwriting, which is all done by Glen himself.

Glen’s history of filmmaking goes back to June 2020 when he began to make local films alongside some of his friends, such as ‘The Aspen’s Rain’ and ‘Wyvern’. However, his first film with a detailed production system came in 2021 with ‘Inner Journey’ almost an hour long film of scenic cinematography - masterwork of an primordial Killarney, one where he submitted to the Fresh Film Festival and got nominated for Best Young Director. His longest-spanning project was a collaboration, again, alongside some of his friends, in ‘That Was The River’, a near three and a half hour biopic detailing the events of an escape from a corrupt school. The film was released on YouTube in May.

‘The Legend of Patrick Greenwood’ is a short film with swelling, gorgeous pans, stills and slides of a wild, untamed, Killarney countryside.

Glen aims for the film to be “precise and impactful”. He describes the plot revolving around “showing the devastation of Muckross forest being cut down and replanted by Patrick Greenwood”.

He also explains how some of the themes stir on “legacy, nature and what you leave behind”.

“I’m hyped again that I am making a film,” Glen told the Killarney Advertiser.
“We are making progress with the film, I want to display Killarney in a wild, adventurous fashion.”

Although it is still undergoing production, Glen hopes to submit the final film into the ‘Fresh Young Filmmakers Competition’ a prestigious award ceremony for young Irish entrepreneurs in the film business.