Ireland's Film Fleadh

Welcome to the

Galway Film Fleadh ..

Ireland's leading film festival, a six day international film event held every July welcomes a mad diversity of filmmaking from around the world. The "Fleadh" is very much a filmmakers' festival, and attracts directors, actors, cinematographers and artists of all generations and cultural backgrounds, who present their work before their peers.

Galway Film Fleadh

Genre: All

The Galway Film Fleadh, a six day international film event held every July, with a special emphasis on showcasing Irish feature films and documentaries. The Fleadh also hosts the Film Fair and industry film seminar, The Real Deal, which is funded by the Bord Scannán na hÃireann/the Irish Film Board. The Fair offers producers in the process of developing new projects an opportunity to meet with international film financiers.

The Fleadh has a number of awards including Best First Irish Short, Best Irish Short, Best Irish Short Documentary, Best First Irish Short Animation, Best Irish short animation, Best Feature Documentary and Best First Feature.

Celebrating it's 24th Birthday this year, the central goal of the Galway Film Fleadh remains unchanged: to bring together audiences and filmmakers within an intimate environment, and share a common experience - the wonder of cinema. The Fleadh's diverse audience is made up of the general cinema going public, film buffs, student filmmakers, industry professionals and invited guests.

Guests have included: Peter O'Toole, Jessica Lange, Bill Pullman, Alex Gibney, Jeremy Irons, Volker Schloendorff, Kathy Bates, Paul Schrader, Robert Towne, John Lynch, Luis Mandoki, Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, Matt Dillon, Stephen Frears, Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Minghella, Agnieszka Holland, Gillo Ponecorvo, Aidan Quinn, Rutger Hauer, Arthur Penn, Gabriel Byrne, Donal McCann, Istvan Szabo, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Winterbottom, Ed Pressman, Woody Harrelson, Abbas Kiarostami, Mira Nair, Sir Richard Attenborough, Paolo Taviani, Michael Moore, Oliver Reed, Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan to name but a few.

In addition to its celebrated programme of the best in world cinema, the Fleadh also offers: Masterclasses, Public Interviews, Debates, Workshops and Seminars

The Acting Masterclass workshop is developed with one of the world's leading film actors, aimed at actors working or wanting to work more in the recorded media. This Masterclass provides an intensive interactive environment guided by a leading expert in the skills, methodology and aesthetics of film acting while dealing with all the common fears and questions actors have regarding work in front of the camera.

Soon Michael Fassbender is expected to explode onto the world stage.

As fate would have it, his first acting assignment was a stage version of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Ironic considering that some fifteen years later, he would be playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin's latest opus, Inglorious Bastards.

Within those fifteen years, Michael has kept busy, establishing himself as a serious actor and learning his craft through quality HBO production, Band Of Brothers, Colin Bateman's Murphy's Law and Francois Ozon's wonderful Angel.

But little, prepared the uninitiated for Fassbender's breakout performance in Steve McQueen's stunning Hunger. Made all the more staggering that he only appears in the final two acts of the movie, Fassbender's portrayal of hunger striker Bobby Sands is so complete, alive and dynamic that his performance possesses the movie.

He lost 40 pounds for the role, as the latter half of the movie chronicles Sands' physical disintegration - but one gets the sense that Fassbender is nonchalant about weight loss and the hype it often generates: "Back in the day people used to fast all the time. They'd go on pilgrimages etc." His task was to portray Sands - his physicality, intellect & passion; weight loss was incidental.

Those attending the Fleadh's closing film, Fish Tank, were privy to another pitch perfect performance by Fassbender. A central tension in Fish Tank is the discovery of the true nature of Fassbender's character, and it is another tribute to his ability as an actor that he manages to keep this tension simmering, revealing character and adding depth, until the film's conclusion.

Actors featured in past fleadhs include:

Jessica Lange, Jeremy Irons, Kathy Bates, Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, John Lynch, Stanley Tucci, Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn, Colm Meaney, Woody Harrelson and Gabriel Byrne.

Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to an Irish mother and German father. His parents moved to Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland when he was two years old. He attended St. Brendan's, Killarney (The Sem) and the Drama Centre London. Blue eyed, Fassbender plays guitar, piano, and accordion and speaks fluent German. He has his own production company called Peanut Productions. He is related on his mother's side to Michael Collins, an Irish leader during the War of Independence. He is currently dating American actress Leasi Andrews.

Here are a few of the movies he has acted in.

This masterclass was designed for participants who are pursuing a career in writing for film and television and focused on some of the following aspects:

Writing for TV/Film

Characterisation

Plot

Structure

Dialogue

The 21st Galway Film Fleadh and the Galway Film Centre in association with Northern Ireland Screen announced that Christopher Hampton would give this years Screenwriters Master Class, open to all budding writers.

Christopher Hampton's plays, musicals and translations have garnered three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard awards and the New York Theatre Critics Circle Award.

Prizes for his film and television work include an Academy Award, two BAFTAs, a Writer's Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia, a Special Jury Award at the Cannes film festival, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year 2007 and the Collateral Award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Literary Adaptation.

He has written a wide range of award winning plays including The Talking Cure, White Chameleon, Tales From Hollywood, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Treats, Savages, The Philanthropist and Total Eclipse. Christopher Hampton also wrote the book and lyrics (with Don Black) for the musicals Sunset Boulevard and Dracula and the libretto for the Philip Glass operas Waiting For The Barbarians and Appomattox.

His screenplays include: The Quiet American, Mary Reilly, Total Eclipse, Dangerous Liaisons, Carrington, The Secret Agent and Imagining Argentina, the last three of which he also directed. His most recently released film, Atonement, won Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture. Cheri, directed by Stephen Frears, premiered at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival.

To honour the presence of Christopher Hampton at the festival, the 21st Galway Film Fleadh screened Atonement, Imagining Argentina and The Quiet American.

Past Screenwriters have included:

Martin Daniel, Terry George, Robert Towne, Paul Schrader and Paul Laverty

Christopher James Hampton CBE, FRSL (born January 26, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning British playwright, screen writer and film director. He is best known for his play based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses and the film version Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and also more recently for writing the nominated screenplay for the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's Atonement.

Some Christopher Hampton's books follow.

THE COVE

Directed by Louie Psihoyos

In the 1960s, Richard O'Barry captured and trained five dolphins to act in an upcoming TV show. The success of this show would exceed all expectations and become a cultural phenomenon still synonymous with dolphins today - Flipper.

O'Barry, who had profited from Flipper's success, had a change of heart after Cathy, the key dolphin star of Flipper, died in his arms on Earth day, 1970. The next day Richard was in a Bimini jail, arrested for trying to free a dolphin for the first time.

For the past 39 years, Richard O'Barry has been the most ardent activist on behalf of the Dolphins. As such, his attention has focused on a fortified lagoon in the small Japanese town of Taiji - The Cove, where every six months thousands of dolphins are killed for their meat, and where some dolphins are drugged and flown to be trained to perform in dolphinariums around the world.

The director of The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, shared many of Richard O'Barry's concerns, when they decided to work together. They devised a plan to put together an elite band of activists to surreptitiously penetrate the well-guarded cove.

The Cove is a documentary about a sting operation, but it also chronicles Richard O'Barry's lifelong pledge to atone for the part he played in popularising dolphins as a vehicle for entertainment. The Cove is a film that has the very rare qualities of being both a thrilling and deeply affecting documentary, and not to be missed.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide. The Cove exposes not only the tragedy of dolphin slaughtering in Japan, but also the dangerously high levels of mercury in dolphin meat and seafood, the cruelty in capturing dolphins for entertainment, and the depletion of our oceans fisheries by worldwide seafood consumption. We also see how the mandate of the International Whaling Commission has been manipulated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency for its benefit and its subsequent effect on the rest of the world.

FROZEN RIVER

Directed by Courtney Hunt

Ray Eddy is about to buy her little family the house of her dreams. But when her gambler husband takes off with all her money, Ray finds herself alone with her kids and completely broke.

Trying to track her husband down, she meets Lila Littlewolf, a Mohawk girl who provides her with a plan for earning easy money. But the risks are high: smuggling immigrants on the frozen Saint Lawrence, with border patrols on both banks. Desperate for money, Ray accepts the offer: she will drive the car and they will share the profits.

At first the ice is still thick, but as the deals go on and the Saint Lawrence gets thinner, Ray and Lila are about to discover that smuggling immigrants comes at a cost. Winner of the Jury prize for Best US drama at last year's Sundance Film Festival, Courtney Hunt has crafted an exceptional drama with Frozen River. One of the film's many qualities is the central performance of Melissa Leo - an actress unafraid to show herself weathered by the cold, harsh elements, she builds the kind of performance that will command your involvement and earn your respect.

A woman on New York's Mohawk Reservation takes up illegal-immigrant smuggling to survive. Starring: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Michael O'Keefe, Charlie McDermott, Mark Boone Jr. Produced by: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae, Alfonso Trinidad

Veteran actress Melissa Leo earned her first Oscar nomination for portraying a woman lured into smuggling immigrants between New York and Quebec, Canada.

HIS & HERS

Directed by Ken Wardrop

This is the debut feature film from director Ken Wardrop, who in a few short years has established himself as a distinct new voice in Irish filmmaking. His & Hers is a creative documentary, which chronicles a ninety-year-old love story, through the collective voice of seventy ladies. Using his mother's life as inspiration, the filmmaker has created a film that explores how we share life's journey with others.

The hallways, living rooms and kitchens of the Irish Midlands become the canvas for the film's rich tapestry of female characters. The story unfolds sequentially through young to old and the characters are charmingly abashed; while the younger contributors are animated in discussing their relationship with their other halves, the older women discuss their love, and often their bereft love, with grace and candour. His & Hers is an investigation into the ordinary to discover the extraordinary. It finds comedy in the mundane, tragedy in the profound and provides an original insight into life.

BLIP

Directed by Sean Mullen and Ben Harper

Ever wondered what would happen if two aliens tried to take over the same planet?

This short 3D animation was produced by Ben Harper and Sean Mullen in their 3rd year at the Irish School of Animation. (Ballyfermot)

THE POLISH LANGUAGE

Directed by Alice Lyons and Orla McHardy

'The Polish Language,' directed by Alice Lyons & Orla McHardy, in the Film program described itself as a film-poem. The abstract handmade feel is something that is often tried but actually quite difficult to get right. As it turned out the film was really impressive and turned out to be the winner.

The film pays homage to the revitalization of the art of poetry in the whispery language of Polish in the second half of the 20th century. Its visual style is based on underground publications in Poland in the 1970s and 1980s, known as Bibula.

Steve was one of the original founding members of the Galway Film Fleadh and a tireless promoter of Independent animation in Ireland so it is great to see him finally walk away with 1st prize.

CHRISTMAS WITH DAD

Directed by Conor McCormack

'Christmas with Dad' is the story of a young man struggling to define himself through fatherhood. AJ is just 23-years-old but already a father to seven children, five from his partner's previous relationships. They live on a sprawling council estate on the outskirts of Bristol: an area plagued by unemployment, drugs and anti-social behaviour, where fewer residents go to university than in any other area of the UK.

AJ's tough exterior conceals a sensitive young man, living through some of the defining moments in his life. The family home is full of noise and conflict as seven children compete for space, but amid the chaos young lives are forming. Filmed entirely within the physical setting of home, 'Christmas with Dad' follows this most unusual family as they prepare for the festive season and ready themselves for the arrival of an eighth child. With remarkable access and insight, 'Christmas with Dad' reveals a young man struggling to define his role as father, haunted by his own childhood and facing up to a very uncertain future.

Christmas with Dad follows 22-year-old AJ as he and his family prepare for the festive season and the arrival of an eighth child. With remarkable access and insight the film reveals a young man struggling to define his role as a father, haunted by his own childhood and facing an uncertain future.

Thursday Afternoon Directed by Manus McManus

THE MAN INSIDE

Directed by Rory Bresnihan

Most people worry about getting locked out and staying on the outside. But what would happen if you got stuck on the inside? When Lisandro's key breaks in the lock one morning, he finds himself trapped inside his tenth floor apartment. Struggling against time and the locked door to avoid being late for work, Lisandro begins to realize his predicament is considerably more serious than he thought.

Despite his efforts to find help, Lisandro is left to his own devices surrounded only by the insects that occupy his apartment. Through his unfortunate predicament, Lisandro is forced to slow down and appreciate the smaller things in life. Forgotten by the world he watches from his window, he invites nature in to be his companion and cultivates an enchanted existence from the little hope he has left. The Man Inside reminds us of the pervading force of nature when humankind is too caught up in daily routines to notice the beauty that surrounds us.

If you would like to view the Trailer, copy the following Internet address into your browser: http://http://video.ireland.com/video/iLyROoafMqSW.html

Not all the films shown at the Galway Film Fleadh are for sale at Amazon yet and some may never be but, I will check on a regular basis and add them here as they become available.

Nine-year-old Carlitos is one of the countless children left behind by parents who come to the US seeking a way to provide for their families. His mother Rosario has worked illegally as a domestic in Los Angeles for four years, sending money home to her son and mother to give them a chance at a better life. Carlitos has never been to visit his mother, and their only contact for the last four years has been phone calls - each Sunday Rosario phones him from a public payphone in East LA.

When the death of his grandmother leaves young Carlitos alone, he takes his fate into his own hands and heads north across the border to find his mother. As he journeys from his rural Mexican village to the LA barrio, Carlitos faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles with a steely determination and unfettered optimism that earn him the grudging respect and affection of the characters he meets on his epic journey.

He finds his way from Tucson to East LA, but the only clue Carlitos has to his mother's whereabouts is her description of the street corner from which she has called him each Sunday for the last four years. Unaware that Rosario is only hours away from returning to Mexico to be with her son, Carlitos desperately combs the vast unfamiliar city for a place he has seen only in his imagination.

Patricia Riggen weaves their parallel stories into a vividly textured tapestry of yearning and devotion that portrays a child's courage and tenacity, and a mother's sacrifice.

UNDER THE SAME MOON tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite.

Director Neil Jordan expertly blends fantasy and reality in the saga of Francie

Brady (Eamonn Owens), an energetic and imaginative boy whose bleak existence in a small 1960s Ireland town eventually drives him to drastic measures. With his friend Joe (Alan Boyle), Francie escapes into a world of comic books, television, and science fiction films to cope. Jordan scripted The Butcher Boy along with the author of the novel, Patrick McCabe, and the result is an unusual and rewarding blend of pitchblack comedy and wry social commentary. Owens, in his screen debut, is an absolute marvel as the lead, strutting through the film with the irrepressible cheek of a Marx brother.

Voted by readers of Film Ireland as best Irish film ever made, this screening affords an opportunity to revisit a work of exceptional imagination, and to those uninitiated - an opportunity not to be missed.

The film tells the story of Francie who lives with his depressed mother and alcoholic father. He loves his family a lot and promises her mother to not ever let her die when one day she attempts to commit suicide.

Meet the Tenenbaums, an eccentric New York family, each member of which once had extraordinary individual talents. The patriarch of the family, Royal Tenenbaum was a successful litigator, his wife Etheline raised their children to be ambitious, entrepreneurial, and creative - and then published an acclaimed book about her child-rearing techniques. The adopted daughter Margot was a gifted playwright, Chas was a masterful businessman with a taste for real estate and the other son, Richie, was a natural tennis champ.

However, when Royal packed up and left his wife and family in a cloud of betrayal, everything fell apart. Twenty years on, the Tenenbaums are a dejected and alienated bunch, each having found that their early successes did not carry over into adulthood.

The brilliant script is impeccable with choppy, intentionally awkward language delivered with dry wit by the well-appointed (almost too good to be true) cast. The photography beautifully captures a faded, vintage 1980s New York. And the eclectic soundtrack features much-loved tunes by Nico, The Velvet Underground, The Clash, and the Vince Guaraldi Trio. In short, The Royal Tenenbaums is superb. Filled with expertly crafted characters, award-worthy (and winning) performances and big laughs, it's everything that your average movie isn't.

The epic trailer for The Royal Tenenbaums Made by touchstone pictures.

The film features an ensemble cast, including Anjelica Huston as Etheline Tenenbaum, Owen Wilson as Eli Cash, Luke Wilson as Richie Tenenbaum, Ben Stiller as Chas Tenenbaum, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum, Danny Glover as Henry Sherman, Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum and Bill Murray as Raleigh St. Clair. Alec Baldwin narrates.

Gene Hackman won a Golden Globe for his performance and Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson's screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. Stylus Magazine ranked it number 3 on their list of the Top Films of the Millennium.

Based on the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, All About Eve is an elegantly witchy backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Tattered and forlorn, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway megastar Margo Channing (Bette Davis), weaving a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Taking pity on the girl, Margo takes Eve as her personal assistant.

Before long, it becomes apparent that naïve Eve is a Machiavellian conniver who cold-bloodedly uses Margo, her director Bill Sampson (Gary Merill), Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm), and waspish critic Addison De Witt (George Sanders) to rise to the top of the theatrical heap. Also appearing in All About Eve is Marilyn Monroe, introduced by Addison De Witt as "a graduate of the Copacabana school of dramatic art." This is but one of the hundreds of unforgettable lines penned by writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the most famous of which is Margo Channing's lip-sneering admonition, "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

I have a copy of this movie and have watched it over and over again. Still when it happens to come on the T.V. movie channel, I am compelled to watch it again. It is a marvelous movie!

It's all about women---and their men! An ingenue insinuates herself in to the company of an established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.

These are the films I have chosen out of all the ones viewed at the Galway Film Fleadh.

you made my day!

Ireland Film Fleadh, featuring the Galway Film Festival, received a Purple Star on October 10, 2011.

The Purple Star Program!

Along with our new Squidoo program (you know, the experience points and trophies) comes a change to the Purple Star Program. Purple Stars are no longer jus...

Have you ever been to the Galway Film Festival? Did you enjoy your visit via this lens? (I hope so.) I would love to hear from you and likes and blessings will be welcome. :))