A public interview with John C Reilly, a contemporary re-imagining of an Irish myth and an Oscar-nominated animation are among the offerings for visitors to this year’s Galway Film Fleadh.
The programme for this year’s festival, which runs from July 7th to 12th, was revealed this evening and features thirteen world premieres and a spotlight on the newest voices in Irish cinema.
The prestigious industry event will also see a focus on cinema from The Netherlands, daily programmes of shorts and an eclectic range of documentaries covering everything from music, food, Hollywood secrets and the undiscovered origins of cinema itself.
“We have put together a programme that plays to our strengths as a uniquely informal, intimate and engaging festival,” said festival programmer Gar O’Brien.
The subject of this year’s public interview in the Town Hall Theatre is none-other than the staple of American indy cinema and much-loved comic actor, John C. Reilly.
Other special guests joining the already-announced godfather of Iranian cinema, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, include screenwriter Michael Tolkin (The Player, Deep Impact, Changing Lanes) and Disney Pixar’s Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera (Monsters Inc., Up), with the Irish Premiere of their much anticipated new film, Inside/Out.
Galway was designated a UNSECO City of film in 2014 and the Fleadh is celebrating this fact with a number of features and shorts made in, or by filmmakers from, the City of the Tribes.
This celebration of all things Galway kicks off in style with a free, open-air symphony of classical film music at Galway’s Spanish Arch and closing night film An Klondike, a frontier drama about three Galwegian brothers who seek their fortune in Klondike Valley.
With a reputation as a launching pad for the best in new Irish films and new Irish talent, this year’s programme features a number of first features from debut directors, such as Mark Noonan’s charming comedy-drama You’re Ugly Too, wherein Aidan Gillen is released from prison to care for his niece.
The Survivalist is a tense post-apocalyptic drama from Stephen Fingleton and Traders from Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy explores the terrifying depths a group of young professionals reach in order to preserve their wealth and status in recession-hit Ireland.
The 2015 Fleadh will also showcase new work from directors like Johnny O’Reilly, who delivers a visual love poem to his adopted city and the interweaving lives of its denizens in Moscow Never Sleeps and Irish stalwart Cathal Black presents a new short film Butterfly.
Meanwhile, the Cartoon Saloon crew from Kilkenny begin the home-run for their sumptuous Oscar-nominated animation Song of the Sea.
For fans of great documentaries, the festival continues to impress with insightful and topical films like An Open Secret, the shocking and persuasive indictment of Hollywood child abuse rings and The First Film, which recounts the amazing story of the forgotten cinema pioneer Louis Le Prince.
Mary McAleese and the Man Who Saved Europe sees the former president as a guide to the legacy of St. Columbanus, while Older Than Ireland tells the story of Ireland through interviews with thirty centenarians who are older than the state itself.
This year’s country-in-focus at the Fleadh is The Netherlands, showcasing the best in contemporary Dutch Cinema with films such as Admiral, an epic, sea-faring adventure from the golden age of Dutch history; Zurich, the latest from rising auteur Sacha Polak and Son of Mine, the searing, father-son crime drama set in impoverished South Limburg.
The Netherlands’ strong reputation for documentary is represented by Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice, a poetic documentary about the impact of backpackers in remote northern Laos, and Sergio Herman: F***ing Perfect, which follows the perfectionist, Michelin three-star chef as he plans to close down his award-winning restaurant in the hope of a simpler life.
For more details on this year’s festival, see www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.
