If you happen to be around Galway over the next few days (and sure, why wouldn't you be? It's Galway) you might want to check out some of the great films which will be on show at the Galway Film Fleadh.
The Fleadh is famous for showcasing some of the best in Irish talent and new filmmaking and this year is no exception. With a heavy focus on women in film and some great international productions, it is safe to say that there is something for everyone at the Fleadh this year. This is just a couple of our favourite picks.
1. Begin Again
If you missed Begin Again as the opening film last night, let us promise you, it is one of the delights of this year. The story revolves around Knightley and Ruffalos' characters who are both a bith washed up following bad relationships and terrible work situations but respond by getting involved in a project that will make them reconnect with the things they love.
2. Night Moves, Wednesday, 9th July, 10pm
Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard as environmentalists are eager to send a message to the developers and technology-addicted residents of “the latest outpost of the Portland Empire”. With Kelly Reichardt directing, this is definitely one to watch. What a cast!
3. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Wednesday, 9th July, 10pm.
Starring the wonderful Brian Gleeson and newcomer Emma Willis, Darkness tells the story of troubled teenage sharpshooter Cleo Callahan (Emma Eliza Regan) strives to avenge the death of her estranged sister after she is found brutally stabbed in a public bathroom. After she has sworn to kill her enemy, she finds out that her enemy is her best friend.
4. Blood Fruit, Thursday, 10th July, 3pm.
Blood Fruit tells the story of young Dubliners who changed the face of the anti-apartheid movement around the world. In 1948 the South African government passed a law segregating blacks and whites known as apartheid. Nearly forty years later, Mary Manning, a 21-year old checkout girl at Dunnes Stores in Henry Street in Dublin, refused to register the sale of two Outspan grapefruits under a directive from her union in support of the anti-apartheid struggle. She and ten other workers who supported her action were suspended with immediate effect and so a strike ensued. Given that the Mandela passed away last year, this will be a particularly poignant screening.
5. Young Ones, Thursday, 10th July, 9pm.
This film stars Michael Shannon and we can promise you that any film that stars Michael Shannon will be worth it for his performance alone. Ernest Holm lives on this harsh frontier with his children, Jerome and Mary. He defends his farm from bandits, works the supply routes, and hopes to rejuvenate the soil. But Mary’s boyfriend, Flem Lever, has grander designs, and will go to any length to achieve them.
6. The Grand Seduction, Friday, 11th July, 6pm.
The only hope for the tiny outport of Tickle Head is a new petrochemical plant, but in order to qualify for the bid they need to prove they have a resident doctor. When fate sends Dr Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) their way, unemployed fisherman Murray French (Brendan Gleeson) mobilises the town to do everything they can to convince the fast-living, jazz-loving, cricket-playing doctor that their sleepy harbour is a paradise tailor-made just for him. We've seen this and we can promise you, this is excellent.
7. Glassland, Friday 11th July, 8pm.
Jack Reynor and Will Poulter will be in attendance for the Irish premiere of the much-anticipated Glassland. In a desperate bid to save his mother from a crippling alcohol addiction and reunite his broken family, John, a young taxi driver on the fringes of the criminal underworld is forced to take a job which will see him pushed further into Dublin’s dark underbelly. But will he be prepared to act when the time comes, knowing that whatever he decides to do, his and his family’s lives will be changed forever?
8. Brave Miss World, Saturday, 12th July, 7pm.
Brave Miss World tells the story of Linor Abargil, the victim of a violent attack and rape in Milan just before being crowned Miss World in 1998. The film follows her fight to get the serial rapist convicted, and her decision to speak out about rape. She reaches out to other survivors, from the townships of South Africa, to university campuses in the United States where reports of rape are hushed. The director of the film, Cecilia Peck, will also be in attendance. This is definitely one to see.
9. Frozen Singalong, Sunday, 13th July, 12pm.
If you weren't lucky enough to catch Frozen while it was in cinemas (we're not sure how this is possible, it was in the cinema for ages) then you can catch this singalong version of the Disney film. Just expect that pretty much everyone there will know all the songs. LET IT GO, LET IT GO!
10. An Afternoon with Brenda Fricker, Sunday, 13th July, 3pm.
One of the great legends of Ireland will be in public conversation this Sunday in the Town Hall. Fricker will be talking about her amazing career including My Left Foot, The Field Veronica Guerin and A Long Way from Home. This promises to be an amazing interview.
