
Bonnie MacRae
Duration
Bonnie MacRae is an award-winning writer and director with a drive to create work that gives platforms loud, pertinent, socially-fuelled Scottish stories head on. Bonnie is particularly interested in celebrating strong female characters, shining a light on the stories not always shown on screen. Her work has picked up accolades including Best Short Film and Audience Awards at multiple global festivals. Bonnie has been commissioned by the likes of Screen Scotland, BBC Studios and Young Scot. During her time at Cove Park she will begin writing a feature script inspired by her last short film, All Up There.
‘It was an amazing experience to be at Cove Park. Coming from a working-class background with no residency experience whatsoever, I couldn’t have felt more welcome and supported. From meeting other likeminded emerging artists from all over the world, to being connected with legendary industry mentors that have totally instilled confidence and belief in me that I never fully had before the Bursary, every aspect of the process has been incredible. I would urge any other young Scottish artist to undertake an experience like this one… it’s been so pivotal in my development as an artist.’
Bonnie MacRae
An award from Creative Scotland’s Youth Arts Fund made possible four Bursaries for young people based in Scotland aged 18-24. The Bursaries, in Design, Digital Practice, Literature and Theatre, each involved a 4-week residency and bespoke mentoring and support during the 12-month period of each award. Bonnie MacRae (Literature Bursary) is a writer and director known for work that gives a platform for loud, pertinent, socially focussed Scottish stories celebrating strong female characters and shining a light on the stories not always shown on screen.
During her residency Bonnie worked on a TV pilot episode inspired by her GMAC and Creative Scotland-supported short film, All Up There. She had time to work closely with her collaborator, Hannah Collins, and prepared to screen their short film at an event on endometriosis organised at the Houses of Parliament, London, in June 2023. She was introduced to four inspiring mentors: 1. Playwright & TV writer Noelle Viñas (Peacock’s ‘Mrs Davis’); 2. TV writer & former resident Anita Vettesse (BBC Writers’ Room Residency, 2016); 3. Artistic Director of New York Stage & Film & creative producer Liz Carlson; 4. Playwright and TV writer Leah Nanako Winkler (A24’s ‘Ramy’, HBO Max’s ‘Love Life’).
These meetings grew Bonnie’s network of women working in film and TV and helped to prepare her for the next steps: finding an agent and submitting treatments to production companies. Bonnie has since gained representation from Bacon Production, won Best Director at BFI Future Film Festival 2024, and has screened her short film in the UK and beyond including Kyiv’s International Short Film Festival.