Article
Irish cinema at Galway 2010
article_intro_heading
This year’s fleadh is packed full of new Irish films and introduces a whole host of new filmmakers to an Irish audience. In a quick round up before arriving down in Galway ourselves, we look over what’s on offer this year. (NB. this isn’t an overview of ALL the Irish films in Galway this year…just a selection that I’ll be trying to catch.) - Emma Norton
article_single_heading
After a strong showing in Tribeca earlier in the year, I was thrilled to see My Brothers lined up to open the fleadh. And equally disappointed not to make it down in time to see the film. Hopefully, this contemporary road movie from talented new screenwriter William Collins will earn a wider release in Irish cinemas soon. The script was a wonderful mix of low key charm and wry humour and so I can’t wait to see what Paul Fraser (long time Shane Meadows collaborator) has made of it.
Another film already to have screened (Thursday 10am), that I would like to have caught, was the feature length version of online phenomenon Covies, as part of The Wild Card section of the festival. The press release promised something for everyone “Mixing hard hitting drama, comedy and fantasy, it delivers an eclectic mix of characters into situations both familiar and unfamiliar.” It’ll be interesting to hear how this went down, as this is a film that I’ve heard little about in the run up to the festival and it’s clearly something that’s been done with real independence and a tight budget.
With a raft of festival awards already under its belt, Nothing Personal screens Thursday night in the Omni at 17:30. I saw this Dutch- Irish co-production in DIFF earlier in the year and was suitably impressed. The debut feature from Polish-born director Urszula Antoniak is a beautiful, spare and emotive piece with two equally strong performances from Stephen Rea and Lotte Verbeek. This is a delicately paced, but compelling art house film, which uses a subtle blend of emotional quiet and narrative space to create a film that is elusive, but genuinely moving.
Also one to look out for on Thursday night is Come on Eileen (22.45 Town Hall Main). I’m intrigued by this low budget offering from newcomer Finola Geraghty. Filmed on an incredibly tight budget and blessed with a cast that were prepared to work for free, this is the story of a woman who lets herself tip over the edge into an alcoholic binge and the chaos that ensues. The subject matter sounds potentially dark, but the treatment promises a light touch and the references for the film are an interesting mix “inspired by the work of people such as John Cassavetes and Alan Clarke and films like Nashville, Nil by Mouth and Little Miss Sunshine”. Can’t wait to see what happens when you mix Nil by Mouth with Little Miss Sunshine!
Friday morning kicks off with New Irish Shorts Programme 1 at 10am (Town Hall Main)this will be the first of a few mammoth shorts screenings, but they always throw up a good few gems and for sheer variety and volume of new talent, these screenings can’t be beaten. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Deep End Dance by Conor Horgan on the big screen. Part of RTE’s and the Arts Council Dance on the Box scheme, this short was filmed almost entirely underwater and whilst I’ve seen it on the small screen already it’ll be great to see how this looks blown up and fully immersive.
Friday also offers the chance to see Snap – the first feature from renowned playwright Carmel Winters. Another Irish title to premiere in Tribeca this year, Snap is a challenging and complex piece about a mother’s relationship with her son, when the traumas of their shared past come to be horribly played out in the present. Featuring a painfully real performance from Aisling O’Sullivan, this is being hailed as the arrival of a talented new voice in Irish cinema – so definitely one to check out.
Another feature that I can’t wait to see on Friday evening, is All Good Children (21:00 Town Hall Main). Obviously this is an Element Pictures film. So I’m not going to wax lyrical, but after a well received screening in Cannes this year, it’ll be great to see how Irish audiences respond to it. I’m going to finish off the night at the Town Hall with Outcast (22:45). Fresh from Edinburgh Film Festival, this is an Irish-UK monster movie set on a Scottish housing estate. What’s not to love? I read this at script stage and thought there was real potential in it, so it’ll be great to see what Colm McCarthy and a strong cast of actors bring to the script. Also it’ll be really interesting to see how Colm McCarthy makes the transition from the small screen to the big, with this - his feature debut.
I’ll be back in the Town Hall bright and early on Saturday to sit down to enjoy New Irish Shorts Programme II. There are a couple of shorts in here that I’ve already seen, but am looking forward to watching with a fleadh audience. Bono and My Ex is a funny slice of relationship bitterness from director Ross Whitaker (who also has the brilliant Bye Bye Now in Sunday’s short docs section). I saw Small Change at the IADT Graduate Showcase the other week and thought this was a really impressive short from new filmmaker Cathy Brady. Also, Runners by Rob & Ronan Burke has real energy and features a great scene between two sparring brothers. After taking a breather for a couple of hours, it’ll be back in to Town Hall for the day’s second shorts programme New Irish Shorts: Frameworks and Short Shorts.
At 7pm after a day packed with short film storytelling, I’m looking forward to settling in for the full 95mins of The Runway.. Another feature that I liked at script stage, this promises to be one of the lighter, more overtly entertaining pieces of Irish filmmaking at the fleadh this year. Directed by Ian Power, with a bank of successful shorts behind him, this sees Power move into features and is the World Premiere screening of the film. The Runway is loosely based on the true story of a community who built a runway on Cork Racecourse in 1983 to help a stranded Mexican pilot continue on his way.
Saturday night at the Town Hall is all about the World Premieres and so The Runway is followed by the first public screening of Tom Hall’s follow up to the underrated Wide Open Spaces – Sensation. The catalogue photo for this film is enough to excite a certain amount of curiosity and so I can’t wait to see what sort of tone, Hall goes for in this tale of escorts and inheritance, set in the Midlands. Also, I’m really looking forward to what is being hailed as a breakout performance by Domhnall Gleeson – who was by far the best thing in the occasionally brilliant Your Bad Self.
At 22.45 (Town Hall Main) we have the last of the day’s World Premieres and fittingly this is the final film of the Irish Film Board’s much praised Catalyst scheme - Rewind. With a budget of only €275,000 Rewind, follows on from the other two well received Catalyst films - Margaret Corkery’s quirky and darkly charming debut Eamon and Conor Horgan’s assured post-apocalyptic drama One Hundred Mornings. PJ Dillon directs this dark tale of a woman’s past coming back to haunt her and we can’t wait to see what such a talented cinematographer has achieved in his first outing directing a feature. As a small note, PJ’s presence is a subtle, but pervasive presence throughout the festival, and if you get the chance to see My Brothers, The Runway and Runners along with this, you’ll have sampled a good slice of his work!
