Great Line-Up of New Irish Cinema Set For 25th Galway Film Fleadh
The Galway Film Fleadh (July 9th - 14th) will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year with a line-up that boasts a large number of new Irish features, documentaries and short films which received funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB).
Following on from its critical acclaim at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, Steph Green's RUN & JUMP will headline Saturday night at the festival. Starring Saturday Night Live star Will Forte (30 Rock) and Maxine Peake (Shameless, Silk), Green's debut feature is an emotional journey of family and recovery.
Galway audiences will get a chance to see the world premiere of Lance Daly's hotly anticipated LIFE'S A BREEZE ahead of its cinema release on July 19th. The ‘recession comedy' which stars Pat Shortt and Fionnula Flanagan will screen on Friday night in the Town Hall Theatre.
Other Irish world premieres to take place during the festival include Brendan Muldowney's LOVE ETERNAL, based on the Japanese novel ‘In Love With The Dead'; Colin Downey's fantasy drama THE SHADOWS and Donal Foreman's feature debut OUT OF HERE which is a coming of age story that offers a contemporary portrait of youth culture in Dublin.
New Irish cinema from established directors include Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's MISTER JOHN which stars Aidan Gillen and Johnny Gogan's action feature BLACK ICE. Audiences will also have a chance to catch the thriller HOUSE OF SHADOWS written and directed by Rossella de Venuto and the beautifully animated MOON MAN from Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells).
Stephen Brown's THE SEA will close the festival on Sunday 14th July. Based on John Banville's Man Booker Prize winning novel, the film which stars Ciaran Hinds, Charlotte Rampling and Natascha McElhone tells the story of a man who returns to the sea where he spent his childhood summers in search of peace following the death of his wife.
The Fleadh has long been renowned for its documentary strand and this year is no exception as they present an eclectic mix of stories to suit all tastes. HERE WAS CUBA tells the gripping inside story of the Cuban Missile Crisis which nearly turned the Cold War into a nuclear conflict.
SLOW FOOD STORY which was in official competition at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year follows the evolution of the Slow Food Movement while HILL STREET follows the evolution of skateboarding culture in Dublin. The story of endurance and the burden of being a hero is told through a champion long distance runner in THE RUNNER while COMING HOME tells the story of a man rediscovering technology, social communication and reuniting with family after 13 years in prison.
IFB funded short films including those from the Frameworks, Signatures and Gearrscannáin schemes will also premiere on Saturday 13th.
For more details on the festival programme visit: http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/.