I was shocked when I was asked “With a name like yours and your accent, should you be representing Ireland?” It was not what I expected to hear when I called the Irish Embassy in Paris where I was living, particularly as I had been selected to represent Ireland in the 1990 international art exhibition in Grenoble.
The authenticity of my Irishness had never entered my head. I regained my composure and answered: "Joseph Mary Plunkett is my great uncle. How more Irish do you want me to be?" That has become my instant response to anyone who wonders.
During one Cannes Film Festival an arrogant producer asked me: "So, where are your roots?" I swiftly replied: "I am like the carrot; you pull me out and I am the root".
Born in London - my father Irish, my mother half Irish - I was seven years old when my father was appointed general surgeon in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. He flew and we (mother and five children) went by ship on a magical trip through the Panama Canal, stopping in Curacao, Cristobal, Pitcairn Island and extraordinary places that had my favourite trees - palm trees. I ran around the deck rather than be at the ship's school.
Eventually arriving in New Zealand, I thought we were in paradise. We left 11 years later (we were now eight children) to live in Ireland. Soon after I left for London by boat.
Love for the arts has propelled me to spend most of my life creating in film, music, art and children’s opera.
My father's love of life is my inspiration. I remember he said to me: Find what you love to do and do it till the day you die
When I was 16 and at boarding school, the New Zealand Herald ran a front-page headline: “Convent girl wins nationwide short story competition”. I was that girl, totally surprised as I hadn’t entered the contest. It was my teacher who had raided my desk. She claimed that if she had asked me, I would have said no. The Mayor of Auckland presented me with prize money and I spent it all on books.
My first real job was in swinging London at Horizon Pictures, Sam Spiegel's film company, working on script development with screenwriters, buying film rights. Subsequently I worked for many producers. As European Producer for Prodigy Movies, I produced Australian thriller, Black Water. As time goes by I appreciate more what a great producer Sam Spiegel was.
I have co-produced documentaries, and directed and produced documentary Walk on the Wild Side about my experiences with Stage 4 cancer. In 1994 I was also on the fun team that launched Women in Film in France in Cannes.
After marrying in Dublin, I became a full-time student at Dún Laoghaire College of Art, interrupted by births of my daughter Nico and son Kristian. Moving to Paris with my two babies in 1978, I attended the Sorbonne and had my first art exhibition.
Sadly Covid scuppered our plans for being together in Dublin for Christmas 2021.
In 1982 I founded Dublin Children’s Opera. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was our patron. While preparing a third opera we moved to US. Broken-hearted, I cried for letting down the 116 incredibly talented children and leaving what I had so loved creating.
When not working on film or music I am sitting in a café, painting, writing two books or scrambling to reignite projects left in mid-air when I was diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago. My steel mobile sculpture L’Essor still hangs opposite Dublin’s NCH.
Walk on the Wild Side is a film tribute to the great pioneers of cancer treatment and those who followed, together with the upbeat story of my (I hope) survival of stage 4 ovarian cancer in France. Thanks to my incredible medical team, family and friends I'm alive. It is on Amazon Prime for anyone who faces cancer (and other tough times). The film will be screened in Monaco early next spring to benefit The Princess Grace Foundation which supports medical research for children. It was also screened in New York City for the benefit of the Chemotherapy Foundation.
Despite Covid, with all the constraints, the initial terror of being locked down, the sadness of being cut off from those I love most and not knowing what to believe, I feel lucky I am able to continue most of my creativity at home. I cherish my friends and family now, more than ever and feel so thankful to have them all in my life.
My father’s love of life is my inspiration. Although a busy consultant surgeon until the day he died, he gave time to his family, sailed and golfed with astounding energy. He had tremendous kindness. I remember he said to me: “Find what you love to do and do it till the day you die”. My mother told me never to lose my sense of humour. She was right.
Germaine Kos lives in Paris
