aemi’s ‘Developing Your Practice as a Film Artist’ programme

‘Developing Your Practice as a Film Artist’ is a year long programme for film artists looking to develop, sustain, and professionalise their practice. aemi supports nine film artists through the programme each year, all selected through an open call process overseen by external and independent assessor. Central to the programme is the opportunity for each of the participants to share a film work in progress as part of one of aemi’s Rough Cut events. Participants also have access to peer to peer support, filmmaker masterclasses and information clinics.

The filmmakers currently participating in aemi’s ‘Developing Your Practice as a Film Artist programme’ are Thomas Bennett, Aoife Carolan, Michael Dignam, Laura Fitzgerald, Uma Magal, Olivia Normile, Erik Nuding, Richie Price and Dawn Richardson. Learn more here.

Recently we caught up with filmmaker Michael Barwise about his experience of the programme across 2024 & 2025:

What appealed to you about taking part in aemi’s Tier 2 programme?
I wanted to reevaluate and focus my practice. I felt I needed to check in with what I actually care about when making work, what feels urgent to me and how to get back to responding to that. Also the challenge of exploring my practice in a different context than where I’d previously positioned it. I’ve lived much more in more traditional filmmaking practice and exhibition spaces, even if I was always a bit left field within those worlds, and I wanted to explore in a more deliberate way how to position my work as an artist filmmaker.

Did the programme meet your needs and expectations?
It absolutely did. Right from the off the support, encouragement and the engagement with my work and my practice from others gave me a sense of liberation, a feeling of shaking off a lot of old dust that had gathered on me. I feel much more centred as a film artist in terms of what it is that excites me and where I need to develop and the confidence to pursue my interests. I know the programme was good because I always wanted more. More meetings, more discussion, more support sessions. But that’s a good thing, because it made me hungry to engage with my own practice and with others’ work in a positive way. It’s been particularly important to me during a time when I’ve been quite busy with other editing work as it kept me in check to always be chipping away at my own practice and not to push it down the line and down the line for when I get a clear run at it. Maybe above all else it’s the feeling of being part of a community and the sense that what started in the programme will continue long after that resonates most with me.

What were some of the highlights of participating in the programme?
The Rough Cut presentation and Dissolutions are the two stand outs for me. The Rough Cut because it was a challenge and terrifying to present work in such an early stage but also extremely liberating. The engagement from everyone in the room about the work was humbling and helped get me out of my head with my practice and the work. It was and still is deeply encouraging and built up a well of energy and confidence that I can dip back into when I feel I’ve lost my way. This paired with the advice from the one on one sessions I feel has been instrumental in me finding my way back to what’s important and urgent to me as an artist. Dissolutions was a highlight because it was an opportunity for us all to get together over the course of a weekend to watch, respond to and discuss work. It was a great way to share ideas and get to know and understand each other better.

How do you feel your practice has shifted since the beginning of the programme?
I feel I’ve become a lot more relaxed and looser in terms of how I approach my practice and making work. Before I had ideas of what a piece of work should be or has to be and the scale it should be at and so on, but this programme has helped me shift and relax that perspective. It’s helped me see my practice as a continuing process and whole rather than isolated bits of work. It’s been refreshing.

What opportunities has the programme opened for you?
It’s felt like I’ve become much more part of the film artist community in Ireland since joining the programme through connecting with the other participants and then other artists at Dissolutions. The programme has opened doors to become more aware of what’s going on and also to be able to include my own practice in that.
Another big thing has been getting to know the AEMI team. Having the chance to discuss ideas and have conversations about other’s work and the practice of artist filmmaking in general with the AEMI team has been invaluable. I feel that the relationships developed through the programme will sustain and be built on and that’s a really exciting thing.