‘A Shine of Rainbows’ is an award winner at the Heartland Film Festival and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival; Ireland’s Japanese Film Festival continues its tour of Irish cities and the Waterford Film Festival winners are announced.
‘A Shine of Rainbows’ Victorious
The Irish/Canadian co-production, ‘A Shine of Rainbows’ has won the Audience Award at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it received its U.S. premiere and also won first prize in the category of English Language Feature Film at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
Directed by Emmy award winning Indian Filmmaker/DOP Vic Sarin (Partition, Cold Comfort), the film stars Irish/American actor Aidan Quinn (32A, Legends of the Fall) and Danish actress Connie Nielson (Gladiator, One Hour Photo).
With a budget of approximately €3.5 million, ’A Shine of Rainbows’ was produced by Tina Pehme (Sepia Films), Kim Roberts and James Flynn (Octagon) and was shot in Donegal last year.
Based on the novel by Lillian Beckwith and adapted to screen by Vic Sarin, Catherine Spear and Dennis Foon, ‘A Shine of Rainbows’ tells the story of how a lonely orphan's life is transformed by an extraordinary woman who teaches him to conquer grief and discover the magic in nature and himself.
Japanese Film Festival Comes to Dublin
Following its launch in Galway on Saturday, October 31st, the Japanese Film Festival arrives in Dublin once again seeking to bring the best new Japanese films to Irish audiences. The festival will run in Cineworld on Parnell Street from November 20th – 22nd.
Last year’s event, co-organised by the Embassy of Japan, access>CINEMA and the Ireland Japan Association, was held in Dublin, Cork and Limerick and enjoyed sell-out shows and a high level of interest. Following on from this success this year’s festival began in Galway and returned to Limerick and Cork, showcasing more new films in each location.
Programme manager, David O’Mahony explains why the festival was set up; “Apart from animation, there are relatively few Japanese films released into Irish cinemas” he says “with this in mind the Japanese Film Festival aims to foster a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and society among Irish citizens and to strengthen the cultural ties between the two countries.“
Highlights in the programme include Yôjirô Takita’s ‘Departures’, which was awarded the 2009 Best Foreign Language Oscar, the multiple-narrative drama ‘A Stranger of Mine’ from director Kenji Uchida, and ‘Ponyo’, the latest animation from the award-winning Hayao Miyazaki, the director of ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.
Along with new Japanese films the festival will also offer audiences a rare opportunity to see ‘Shall We Dance?’, a poignant modern classic from 1996, return to the big screen.
To see the festival schedule and for more information visit www.accesscinema.ie
Waterford Film Festival 2009 Winners
‘Bitterness’ won the title of Best Feature Film at this year’s Waterford Film Festival – the 3rd annual event which took place from the 6th to the 8th of November.
‘Bitterness’ is the feature film feature debut for Dublin born director Joseph Delond and is a story of a man who is jilted at the altar thus which leads to a new bitterness in him which is intensified by the happy lives of his friends.
The Best Feature Documentary title was bestowed on ‘Pipe Down’ from debut feature documentary filmmakers Cian O ‘Laoi and Oliver Knowles. The documentary examines Shell Oil’s plans of laying down gas pipes off the Mayo Coast, an action which threatens to endanger the environment and the lives of local farmers and fishermen.
A cash prize of €600 was awarded for 1st place in the Best Short Film and the Best Short Screenplay categories which were won by ‘The Man in the Boot’ and Laura O’Connell for her screenplay ‘The Boy who Killed James Connolly’ respectively.
‘The Man in the Boot’ was written and directed by Anthony Kinsella who also starred in the film. The film’s story unfolds in the wilderness of rural Ireland, when two friends stumble across Adolf Hitler, alive and well and living in the trunk of their car. The adventure begins when they abduct the man and take him out to the mountains to be shot. However, they get more than they bargained for and find out more about the value of their friendship than the mysterious man in the boot.
