The Dingle Film Festival has announced the highlights of this year’s event. Now in its fourth year, the festival will run from the 18th to the 21st of March and will present documentary screenings, themed evenings and educational.
The Dingle Film Festival will make use of the gallery in Siamsa Tíre in Tralee to hold an exhibition of images from photographer Andrew Zuckerman’s Wisdom project from March 12th. Zuckerman’s ‘Wisdom’ documentary will also screen as part of the festivities. The documentary is inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts a generation can pass on is the wisdom it has gained from experience and contributors include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Clint Eastwood, Madeleine Albright, Buzz Aldrin, Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Billy Connolly, Judi Dench, Vaclav Havel, Denis Healey, John Hume, Ted Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Henry Kissinger, Kris Kristofferson, Nelson Mandela, Willie Nelson, Mary Quant, Robert Redford, Vanessa Redgrave and Bill Withers.
The festival will also be screening ‘Still Bill’ a documentary which centres around the singer Bill Withers. Known for such R&B classics as ‘Just the two of us’, ‘A’int no Sunshine’ and ‘Lean on me’, this documentary has been several years in the making. A Mobters & Molls evening at the festival will begin with a screening of James Cagney’s ‘A Public Enemy’ and move on to Dick Macs for a 1920/30’s Club featuring music from the period and a very special guest. Everyone is asked to join in and dress up as Gangsters and Molls on the night. In keeping with this gangster theme there will be a special family screening of Alan Parker’s ‘Bugsy Malone’.
Other documentaries that are to receive a screening are ‘Mugabe And The White African’, winner of the BIFTA 09 and ‘Crude’. ‘Mugabe and the White African’ is based on the story of Michael Campbell, one of the few hundred white farmers left in Zimbabwe since President Robert Mugabe began his violent 'Land Reform' programme in 2000. ‘Crude’ has been three years in the making and is described by festival organizers as a ‘cinéma-vérité feature’ from acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. Rolling Stone has described the project as “A powerhouse of a documentary! This one means to shake you. And in Berlinger’s hands, it does.”
The festival’s educational programme will present ‘Merchant of Venice’ starring Oscar winners Al Pacino (Ocean’s Thirteen) and Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers) with Joeseph Fiennes (Flash Forward) and ‘Inside I’m Dancing’ from Irish director Damien O Donnell (East is East) for the area’s local secondary schools.
Finally, Geoff Wonfor, Director of ‘The Beatles Anthology’ will be shooting a feature film about the Dingle Film Festival this year.
More details will be announced soon and interested parties are invited to listen to the festival’s CEO, Maurice Galway who will be in conversation with Weeshie Fogerty on Radio Kerry on Wednesday, February 24th at 6pm. For more information visit www.dinglefilmfestival.com/
