UCC Puttnam Scholars at Cork International Film Festival

4 Dec 2023

The UCC Puttnam Scholars 2022/23 recently screened their short film ‘Close Shave’ at Cork International Film Festival.

Before the screening, we caught up with Puttnam Scholar Maryam Alabi who is a Children’s & General Integrated Nursing student to learn more about her role in the film, her experiences of being a Puttnam Scholar, and what her favourite movies are.

What was your biggest learning as a Puttnam Scholar this year? 

The biggest lesson or realisation that I gained from being a Puttnam scholar is the amount of work that is required for making a film. The planning, organisation and execution that was required to make this short 12 minute movie really put into perspective why it takes blockbusters, months to create before release.

I think learning about the plethora of  jobs/roles that exist within the movie industry besides the obvious; actors, directors, producers, was also a huge learning curve for me. Cinematographer, production designer, composer and sound editor were film roles I wasn’t immediately aware of, and have now in fact, sparked a new interest for me, especially costume and production design.

What did you enjoy the most?

Attending the seminars and having discussions  regarding contemporary issues like war, homelessness, education etc. was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the programme for me, as it allowed for exploration of different opinions on these matters.

You worked with the other Puttnam Scholars on ‘Close Shave’. Can you tell us about your work on the film?

As I have no real background in film except being a movie and TV enthusiast, I really wanted to get a taste of all the different roles within the making of a movie. Thus, I tried to involve myself in as many different aspects of the film as possible e.g., engaging in test shoots, script development etc.  Production, organising set location, scrub costumes and advising/consulting on how the functioning  of real clinical settings/hospitals occurs, were some of the aspects I participated in mainly.

I held the boom at some point too!

‘Close Shave’ will be screened at this year’s CIFF. What does this mean to you?

I think it’s a real honour that a programme and project that I applied for and participated in due to a passion of mine gets to be displayed at such a renowned event.  I am excited to attend it with my fellow scholars and see some other work from amazing artists.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I think if I had to use three words to describe me it would be Chatty – I am real chatterbox and loud , Sarcastic - irony and joking always and Curious- I love questioning things and learning about new stuff.

I’m 23, the eldest of 5 kids and I am mixed race – Nigerian & Irish! Academia has always been one my areas of interest. My personality reflects my wide variety of interests which include film and TV obviously, but I also love sport – I am a basketball girl at heart as well as art and cooking for sure. I’m organised and a bit of a perfectionist which can be helpful but also stressful at times. As I said I love learning new skills and I am always open to trying something at least once whether it’s a new sport , food or hobby!

A very hard choice but can you name three of your all-time favourite films?

I don’t think I can answer this question honestly because I have too many favourites!

However, three movies that come to mind automatically would be 1. Love and Basketball, 2. The Butler. 3. A Disney Movie ( I can’t pick just one).

Learn more about UCC Puttnam Scholarship and the screening of ‘Close Shave’ at the Cork International Film Festival by watching the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwYozPBv00o