IFTN takes a look at festival news of Irish interest from around the world – Irish Film in New York a roaring success, Kerry Film Festival honouring costume designer Consolata Boyle, and Clones Film Festival confirming three new screenings for their late October event.
Irish Film New York Brings Third Successful Festival to a Close
With a professed aim to “bring the best in contemporary Irish filmmaking to the United States”, the annual Irish Film New York festival has concluded its third consecutive year.
Over the course of its weekend programme, the festival featured US premieres of Irish films ‘Silence’ (Pat Collins) and Paul Kennedy’s ‘Made in Belfast’, as well as New York premiere’s for ‘King of the Travellers’ (Mark O’ Connor), ‘The Hardy Bucks Movie’ and Ross Whittaker’s documentary ‘When Ali Came To Ireland’. Opening this year’s festival was Steph Green’s ‘Run and Jump’, which won the coveted ‘Best Irish Feature’ award at 2013’s Galway Film Fleadh.
From among these entries, winners of various awards included Pat Collins for Best Feature, Ross Whittaker for Best Documentary and Paul Kennedy, who won the New Talent Award for ‘Made in Belfast’. The festival also featured panel discussions on how to maximize the investment opportunities and tax incentives for the growing number of Irish indie films shooting in the US.
Kerry Film Festival Announces Winner of Maureen O’ Hara Award
Oscar-nominated costume designer Consolata Boyle is to be the recipient of a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Kerry Film Festival.
The ‘Maureen O’ Hara Award for Women Who Have Excelled in Film’, named for the Irish leading lady best known for playing fiercely independent heroines during Hollywood’s golden era, was established in order to honour women working in the industry who have achieved great things in their chosen field.
When asked to comment the award, O’ Hara dubbed Boyle’s achievements representative of “the highest collaborative standards in storytelling which is at the heart of all great cinema”, and said, “I am so happy that Ireland continues to shine brightly with her artistry.”
Boyle’s credits include the recent ‘Philomena’ and ‘Byzantium’, as well as ‘Angela’s Ashes’ and ‘The Queen’, for which she received her Oscar nomination. Past recipients of the award include Brenda Fricker and Saoirse Ronan.
The award takes place on the final day of the festival, which will run from the 8th to the 12th of October.
Clones Film Festival Confirms Further Screenings
Clones Film Festival has announced a variety of new screenings to add to their line-up, with the festival set to run from Thursday 24 October to Sunday 27 October in the Monaghan town.
Alex Fagan’s ‘The Irish Pub’ sees the director tour all corners of Ireland to find public houses both famous and remote, with an eye to capturing and celebrating the cultural identity so synonymous with traditional pub culture.
The festival will also feature a screening of Ciaran Creagh’s ‘The Note’, centering on middle-aged alcoholic Lars, who carries around the titular note as a reminder of the sexual abuse he was subjected to at the hands of a Christian Brother, and his journey towards freeing himself from his childhood shackles. The director will be in attendance at the screening.
Finally, the festival committee has confirmed the attendance of actor Ciarán McMenamin (‘Made in Belfast’), who will screen his film ‘Jump’ – based on the original play by Lisa McGee and directed by Kieron J. Walsh, ‘Jump’ takes place entirely on one fateful New Year’s Eve, detailing the lives of four twenty-something’s whose paths intersect as the clock ticks down towards midnight.
The film also stars Martin McCann (‘Shadow Dancer’), Richard Dormer (‘Game of Thrones’), Charlene McKenna (‘Raw’), Nichola Burley (‘Southcliffe’), and is produced by Brendan J. Byrne. ‘Jump’ will be screened on Friday the 25th October.
