Events and Masterclasses at this Year’s Galway Film Fleadh
The 27th annual Galway Film Fleadh gets underway on July 7th, and this year's festival once again includes an excellent mix of events and seminars for those in the film industry.
Thursday, July 9th 11am-2pm: Screen Training Ireland Masterclass with Michael Tolki; Radisson Hotel
Best known as the author and screenwriter of the novel and hit film The Player (1992), which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and won a Golden Globe as the Best Picture Comedy, Michael Tolkin is a celebrated writer who has moved freely between novels, film and TV throughout his career with films such as The Rapture (1991), Deep Impact (1998), Changing Lanes (2002) as well as Nine(2009) which was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Showtime's hit series Ray Donovan.
The masterclass will address:
- The craft of screenwriting and how it differs from other narrative media.
- How to learn from watching other people's movies.
- Television versus feature films.
- Why scenes work - and why some don't.
The masterclass will be moderated by Mary Kate O Flanagan, an Irish-based script consultant. In the last year, Mary Kate has been a tutor on screenwriting programmes in The Czech Republic, Malta, Denmark, Botswana, Sout Africa, Germany, Romania, The UK and Poland as well as in Ireland. See more: http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/index.php/the-galway-film-fair/screenwriters-masterclass-with-michael-tolkin/
Thursday, July 9th 2pm-5pm: The Fleadh Forum; Veranda Bar, Radisson Hotel
The Fleadh Forum is a platform to explore and share ideas about what is happening in the Film industry. It is a chance for filmmakers to come together and exchange news and views.
This year the focus of The Fleadh Forum will be on film finance, regional funding, marketing, distribution and festival strategy.
The Fleadh Forum brings together three key Creative Europe Programmes; ACE, EAVE and Screen Leaders. The forum is supported by the Galway Film Fleadh, Screen Training Ireland and the Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann.
Read more: http://www.screentrainingireland.ie/news/the-fleadh-forum-lets-talk-movies/
Friday, July 10th 10am-1pm: STI Director's Masterclass with Mohsen Makhmalbaf; Radisson Hotel
Born in 1957 in Tehran, Mohsen Makhmalbaf is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.
Many of his films like Salam Cinema (1995), A Moment Of Innocence(1996), Gabbeh (1996), and Kandahar (2001) have been well received across the globe, bringing him over 50 international awards from prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Locarno. His filmKandahar has been chosen as one of the top 100 best movies, in the history of cinema, by Time Magazine.
His fame as the most prominent filmmaker of Iran made him the subject of an identity theft by someone who wished to become a filmmaker. This incident was made into a famous film called Close up (1990) by Abbas Kiarostami.
Fighting for democracy, Mohsen was shot by the police at the age of 17 and spent almost 5 years in political prison. After his release he continued his struggle in search of democracy and equality through his activities in literature and films. With his film, The Afghan Alphabet(2002), he managed to change a law in Iran which resulted in opening the doors of schools and universities to over half a million Afghan refugee children in his country. Winner of the prestigious Manhae Peace Prize, he has also established his own N.G.O. in Iran, implementing 82 different human rights projects, which help the women and children of Afghanistan.
Since 2009, 40 films made by the Makhmalbaf family, alongside Mohsen's 30 published books are banned in his homeland. The Iranian government has also levied a ban on Makhmalbaf's name in the media. In 2013, the Iranian government also removed over 120 international awards of the Makhmalbaf family from the museum of cinema in Iran.
The masterclass will be moderated by director Kieron J. Walsh, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, and a member of BAFTA. Kieron has directed films for the BBC, Working Title, Channel 4, Granada and RTE. In 2006, he founded Bl!nder Films to develop and produce drama and documentary for domestic and international audiences.
Friday, July 10th 10am-1.30pm, Saturday July 11th 10am-4pm: Marketplace; Ballroom, Radisson Hotel
The Marketplace co-ordinates pre-scheduled meetings between filmmakers with projects in development (priority will be given to projects which have a finished screenplay available and a percentage of development and/or production finance in place) and/or completed films and invited Film Financiers, Distributors, Sales Agents, Broadcasters, Film Funds and Major Producers.
A pre-selected group of producers with feature film/documentary projects will have the opportunity to meet with representatives of these companies. A project book will be available for all decision makers and in case of completed films viewing facilities will be available.
Read More: http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/index.php/the-galway-film-fair/the-marketplace/
Saturday July 11th, 10am-1pm: STI Acting Masterclass with John C. Reilly; Radisson Hotel
One of the screen's most versatile character actors, John C. Reilly has appeared in a series of films ranging from outrageous comedies to award-winning dramas. A native of Chicago, he has played an eclectic range of rich characters to great effect over the years, from seedy ne'er-do-wells, to lovable, good-natured schlepps. Reilly broke into film with a small role in the Vietnam War drama, Casualties of War (1989) and gained serious momentum in his career throughout the 1990's, showcasing his talent for stellar performances regardless of genre, in such films as Days of Thunder (1990), Shadows and Fog (1991), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) andThe River Wild (1994). His role in Chicago(2002) received both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for best supporting actor.
Since then his work has ranged from dramatic roles in The Aviator (2004),We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) and Carnage (2011) to comedic performances in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Step Brothers (2008), Cyrus (2010) and Cedar Rapids (2011). He has also voiced the lead in Disney's animated smash Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
The Actors Masterclass will be hosted by John Hubbard of Hubbard Casting and will provide an intensive interactive environment in the skills, methodology and aesthetics of film acting aimed at actors working or wanting to work more in film. The masterclass will cover such topics as:
- Starting out as an actor
- Dealing with casting directors
- Securing an agent
- Preparing for an audition
- Working on set
- Relationship with the director and many more.
Saturday July 11th, 4.30pm: Pete Doctor & Jonas Rivera Animation Masterclass; Radisson Hotel
Jonas Rivera (Producer) joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1994 to work on "Toy Story" as the studio's first and only intern at the time. He advanced roles in production on almost every subsequent Pixar feature film until becoming producer of the studio's 2009 Oscar®-winning film "Up." Most recently, Rivera has reteamed with "Up" director Pete Docter for Pixar's next original feature film "Inside Out," set to release June 19, 2015.
Pete Docter (Director) is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," and "Up," and Vice President, Creative, at Pixar Animation Studios. Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the studio's third animator, Docter collaborated with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton in developing the story and characters for "Toy Story," Pixar's first full-length animated feature film, for which he also served as supervising animator. He served as a storyboard artist on "A Bug's Life," and wrote initial story treatments for both "Toy Story 2" and "WALL•E." Docter also executive produced "Brave" and "Monsters University."
The masterclass will be facilitated by Tomm Moore, director of Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.
Read More: http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/index.php/masterclasses/animation-masterclass/
Sunday July 12th, 11am: Mícheál O'Meallaigh Tribute; Town Hall Studio
Mícheál Ó Meallaigh has been commissioning programmes at TG4 since its establishment in 1996. Since its inception, TG4 has made the transition from a three-hour-a-day broadcaster to producing 1,700 hours of original content per year. TG4 is now a leader in digital broadcasting and provides more jobs in the TV industry for younger presenters than any other station. Mícheál's súíl eile has been a key factor in this success, particularly when it comes to commissioning uniquely Irish television that resonates beyond our shores.
Read More: http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/index.php/project/micheal-o-meallaigh-tribute/
Sunday 12th July, 3pm-4.30pm: An Afternoon with John C Reilly & Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story; Town Hall
Over a career spanning 26 years and 70-plus performances, John C. Reilly has made a name for himself as an actor whose roles, big or small, stay with you. He got his break in Brian De Palma's in Casualties of War. The director liked his work so much during the early stages that he recast him in a major role. He gained momentum throughout the 190s and showed his dazzling range in such films as Days of Thunder and The River Wild. He became a major player in Paul Thomas Anderson's films, finding some of his best roles in Hard Eightand Magnolia. He went on to earn further critical points in Terrence Malick's war epic The Thin Red Line. 2002 saw a slew of high-profile parts in films such as The Hours, Gangs of New York, and Chicago for which he received Golden Globe and Academy Award® nominations for best supporting actor. His stock has continued to rise since, with dramatic roles (We Need to Talk About Kevin), broader comic turns (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Step Brothers), and animation voice-overs (Disney's smash-hit Wreck-It Ralph). Balancing comedy, serious roles, a music career and odd-ball internet sketches, John C. Reilly is living proof that you really can have your cake and eat it too.
Followed by a screening of the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.