Alan is a visual artist self-taught in digital media working primarily in 3D animation and film, with a BA (Hons) in Film + Television, from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dublin, Ireland, with a major in sound design. His creative pursuits extend beyond the moving image as he engages in film photography and pole dancing. He is based between Kilkenny and Dublin, Ireland.
Driven by a passion for creation, Alan's work explores characters who defy conventions and who do not fit in with their surroundings, experimenting with colour, fashion and cinematography. Never confined to the same thing, Alan consistently explores diverse approaches and methodologies to his work. Through his work, he intricately weaves together themes of politics, Irish identity, fashion, Irish history, dance, and LGBTQ+ experiences.
With his keen interests, and works in different artforms and crafts, Alan brings a multidimensional perspective to his art, finding inspiration through his travels around the world exploring locations unique energies, visiting dance and theatre shows, and listening to the experiences and stories of people he encounters from all walks of life.
Passionate about giving back to the community, Alan has volunteered as an Assistant Facilitator for the Young Irish Film Makers in Kilkenny. Currently, he volunteers as an HIV Rapid Testing Volunteer for MPower in Dublin.
Above all, Alan seeks to embrace each moment with enthusiasm, to have fun, and to live life to the fullest. With an adventurous spirit, he continues to explore new possibilities and experiences while always remaining true to his creative soul.
EDUCATION
2017 - 2021, BA (Hons) in Film + Television, Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Sound Design major, Dublin, Ireland.
AWARDS
Detective Buckers, 2020
2021, Best Animated Short Film at the 12th Underground Cinema Film Awards, Dublin, Ireland.
2021, Finalist in the Paris International Film Awards, Paris France.
2021, Semi-finalist in the New York Animation Film Awards, New York, US.
2021, official selection for Las Cruces International Film Festival, Animae, New Mexico, US.
2021, Caribe International Animation & Digital Media Festival, Trinidad and Tobago, Spain.
2021, Luna Lumen Film Festival, Columbus, Ohio, US.
2021, Sanctuary International Film Festival, Sanctuary Cove, Australia.
2021, 21 Islands International Short Film Fest, New York, US.
Allure Fashion Film, 2022
2022, Best Animated Fashion Film at Vesuvius International Film Fest, Campania Italy.
FILM FESTIVALS SELECTIONS
Detective Buckers, 2020
2021, 12th Underground Cinema Film Awards, Winner, Ireland.
2021, Paris International Film Awards, Finalist, France.
2021, New York Animation Film Awards (NYAFA), Semi-Finalist, US.
2021, Luna Lumen Film Festival, US.
2021, Sanctuary International Film Festival, Australia.
2022, 21 Islands International Short Film Fest, US.
2022, Las Cruces International Film Festival, US.
2022, Disappear Here Film Festival, Ireland.
Allure Fashion Film, 2022
2022, 13th Underground Cinema Film Awards, Nominee, Ireland.
2022, Vesuvius International Film Fest, Winner, Italy.
Two Stories of Dublin, Queer, 2023
2023, GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Ireland.
2024, Disappear Here Film Festival, Honourable Mention, Ireland.
Crann na Beatha, 2023
2023, Spook Screen, Ireland.
2023, 17th Waterford Film Festival, Ireland.
2024, Amsterdam Independent Film Festival, Netherlands.
Spins, Splits, Stories - Pole Dancing Singer from Down Under, 2024
2024, GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival, Ireland.
EXHIBITIONS
2018, Deep Meaning, Kilkenny Alternative Arts Festival, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2022, Allure Fashion Film, Vinque Fashion Event, Dublin, Ireland.
2022, Allure Fashion Film, art(ist) FILM Screening, Cork, Ireland.
2023, Crann na Beatha (Tree of Life), The One Minutes, ‘Recognize plants as the bodies of gods!’ curated by Korean visual research band ikkibawiKrrr, various locations in the Netherlands and Reykjavík International Film Festival, Iceland.
2023, Politically Motivated and Crann na Beatha (Tree of Life), Art On Loop; Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium.
2023, Exp. Pers. 03, Mother Pride Block Party 2023, Collins Barracks, Dublin, Ireland.
2023, The Crack in The Wall, Soul Noir, Dublin, Ireland.
2024, Spins, Splits, Stories - Pole Dancing Singer from Down Under, GAZE at Outhouse for Culture Night, Dublin, Ireland.
COURSES COMPLETED
2022, Screen Ireland, Unconscious Bias Training, Dublin, Ireland.
2022, Screen Ireland, Developing an EDI Policy, Dublin, Ireland.
2022, Conradh na Gaeilge, Bungrang 1, Téarma an Earraigh, Dublin, Ireland.
2022, Common Purpose, Legacy Dublin 22, Leadership, Dublin, Ireland.
2023, Screen Ireland, Creative Leadership Programme for Animation, VFX & Games, Dublin, Ireland.
2023, Berlin Art Institute, Five Day Master Class ‘Experimental & Personal Filmmaking’ by Rouzbeh Rashidi, Berlin, Germany.
2023, Dublin, look at yourself! Walking, photographing & zine-making workshop with Bernadette Keating, Dublin, Ireland.
VOLUNTEERING
2016 - 2018, Assistant Facilitator, Young Irish Film Makers, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2022 - Present, Rapid Testing Volunteer, MPower, Dublin, Ireland.
FILMOGRAPHY
Deep Meaning aka: Neglect, Self-Hate & Shame, 2017
The Crack in the Wall, 2020
Radioactively Yours: A Tourist in Chernobyl, 2020
Detective Buckers, 2020
Allure Fashion Film, 2022
Crann na Beatha, 2023
Spins, Splits, Stories - Pole Dancing Singer from Down Under, 2024
GRANTS / BURSARIES AWARDED
ArtLinks! 2023 Bursary