‘West Cork is a beautiful place to film’

Film-maker Colin Hickey, who was born and raised in Ballincollig, has been creating low-budget films for more than 20 years.

He moved to West Cork 14 years ago, where he filmed Perennial Light, a black-and-white movie set to open in cinemas this week.

This is a significant milestone for Hickey, as it marks his first film to be screened in cinemas.

“I’ve been making micro-budget films for almost 20 years,” he said. “I’ve always been on the outskirts of the film business, working my way up bit by bit.

To finally get something into cinemas and knowing it will be in Cork cinemas at the Arc and Omniplex means so much to me.

Hickey, who has been a fan of cinema from a young age, recalls his first visit to the cinema almost 40 years ago.

“I remember my first trip to the cinema in Cork down by the old McDonald’s. I was five, and it was 1987.

“We went to see Harry And The Hendersons, but it was full, so we went to see Inner Space instead.

“My love of cinema began then, so it’s a really great feeling to have something out there and for an audience to see it.”

Perennial Light, which just screened at the Irish Film Festival London, is a black-and-white film with no dialogue that mixes animation with traditional film footage. It is non-linear, but follows the story of a boy from birth to adulthood, facing the trauma of losing his boyhood friend along the way.

Hickey works without a script, allowing his actors to improvise.

“It’s all improvised and there is no structure as such,” he said. “The concept was intrusive thoughts or obsessive thinking. That is where it all started.

“I knew I wanted to use animation to reflect the inner world and thoughts of the characters, so I spent six months working with the animation artist Paolo Chianta to create the cartoon aspect of the film.”

Without a script to guide him, Hickey sent Chianta drawings to use as inspiration, giving him free rein to interpret the images.

“I would send him ideas, drawings I drew myself or found online, and then he would interpret them in his own way.

We’ve been friends for a long time, so there’s trust and understanding there.

“Filmmaking is a collaborative process, so it’s a great feeling to have someone there that you know you can bounce off and respect.”

The earlier animation is stylistically simple, which Hickey says represents childhood.

“The film is a journey from birth to death, so the early animation had to be simplistic and childlike. Everything after that is a progression.”

Once the animation was in place, Hickey began shooting live-action footage around West Cork.

“All the kids in the film are part of my family, including my nephews, nieces, and daughter,” he said.

“They were all very excited and, because they are family, they were freely available to film whenever I needed them.

“The other actors are friends and neighbours; I also have a part. I like to think of it as guerrilla-style film-making.”

Hickey also applies his guerilla-style approach to location scouting, often spotting suitable places while he is driving.

“Because I don’t have any scripts, I have a lot of freedom. A lot of the film’s locations and ideas are literally figured out when I am in the car driving around West Cork,” said Hickey.

There is no shortage of beautiful locations. We are spoiled for choice in this part of the country.

Hickey works alone, which he says gives him creative freedom.

“I don’t have any crew. I am writing, directing, editing and shooting it,” he said.

“This all gives me the freedom to figure things out in my own time, and I enjoy working this way.

It gives me a great creative freedom.

Perennial Light places a strong emphasis on nature, reinforcing Hickey’s theme of the cycle of life.

However, he admits that he doesn’t particularly enjoy the outdoors as an adult. Despite this, Hickey finds himself reminiscing about his childhood, which influences the significant presence of nature in the film.

“There is a lot of emphasis on nature, but the funny thing as an adult is that I don’t like walking through fields in case my shoes get dirty. I’m not too fond of forests.

“As an adult, nothing about nature appeals to me, but as a kid, I spent a lot of time at the back of our estate in Ballincollig, where there were fields and forests.

In the 1090s, we didn’t have iPads or any of the stuff kids have now.

“I remember vividly being in the forest, building camps and climbing trees. Somehow, that all came out in the film. It brought me back to a different time in my life.”

As the cycle of life continues, a central plot in Perennial Light point hinges on the sea and time spent at the harbours of West Cork, where Hickey filmed real-life fishermen in action.

“It was late at night, pitch black and rainy, with just a bit of light on the pier, but when the boat came, it had these lights which looked great in the fog. It created an atmosphere.

I filmed it as it unfolded. I never stopped and asked for a second take. It’s documentary style.

“I stood in the background and filmed them as they did their work. I let an event unfold. It’s a very organic approach and my favourite way to make films.”

Perennial Light is in cinemas from November 29. Cert: PG.