m—Vanmechelen
Mieke Vanmechelen is an artist and hill farmer based in the southwest of Ireland. Born in 1974 in Antwerp, Belgium, Vanmechelen's early years were spent in the polders of Zeeland-Flanders, where her father worked as a shepherd. In 1981, her family relocated to a farm in the Beara Peninsula. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Classical Civilisation at Trinity College and a Master of Arts degree in Art & Process from Crawford College of Art & Design.
Vanmechelen has worked as Kerry County Council’s Filmmaker in Residence for six years and in the arts sector as a consultant for three years.
She has been a recipient of Arts Council Burasary and Film Project Award and is currently resident at Fire Station Artists’ Studios Dublin.
Films produced include Ráth (2016), Bó (2019), Residual Minority (2020) and Hungry Hill (2023). She established Fierce Quiet Films based in Kenmare, Co. Kerry in 2021.
As a director Vanmechelen is intimately involved in the environments she depicts.
Embedded in the terrain she explores, this strong affinity with the subject matter allows her to delve deep, and make films where the quiet moments carry the fiercest messages.
︎︎︎ miekevanmechelen.com