IFTN takes a look at James Phelan’s win in Waterford, Rochester International Film Festival’s call for shorts submissions, and Samuel McFadden’s Irish-shot shorts.
'The Drowning Pool' Wins Best Short Script at Waterford Film Festival
Writer James Phelan has capped off a busy weekend at the Waterford Film Festival (November 8-10), seeing his script 'The Drowning Pool' fend off an original 120 competitors in order to pick up the award for Best Short Screenplay at the seventh annual event.
A dark drama that questions whether a single violent act might actually serve to break a cycle of violence, 'The Drowning Pool' follows a brutal patriarch who runs a gang of feral boys in an isolated town where no law or creed holds sway.
As well as picking up the screenwriting credit, Mr. Phelan also hopes to helm production on 'The Drowning Pool' as director, having previously done so on RTÉ/Filmbase short 'Poetic Licence' and Galway Film Centre/RTÉ short 'The Ottoman Empire'. Far from resting on his laurels, Mr. Phelan also aims to make his feature directorial debut in the near-future, on the self-scribed 'Nailbiter'.
This weekend also saw Mr. Phelan host a table read for his latest feature script 'Stalled', which was developed with support from the Artlinks initiative.
Rochester International Film Festival Call For Short Film Submissions
The Rochester International Film festival have issued a call for submissions for their fifty-sixth event, to take place in Rochester, New York on April 10th, 11th and 12th in 2014.
Self-proclaimed as the world's oldest short film festival - having run uninterrupted since 1959 - the Rochester International Film Festival was originally launched by filmmakers collective Movies On A Shoestring, Inc. Considered one of the most prestigious platforms for short films in the world, the festival also runs 'The Best of The Fest', a permanent collection of favourite films from past festivals.
All entries are submitted to two stages of judgement, initially viewed only by MOAS members and voted upon. Each filmmaker then receives a written critique of their film, while all entries which have advanced to the next stage are submitted to a panel of judges who make the final selection for the festival itself. Each entry chosen receives the traditional Shoestring Trophy.
For all further information concerning submission formats and guidelines, visit the festival website.
Locally-shot Shorts Receive Irish premiere in Filmbase
American film director Samuel McFadden showcased two of his short films to receptive audiences in Filmbase last week.
"The Gates of Dawn" and "Shelter from The Storm" screened in Filmbase's Curved Street headquarters, with the director commenting that it was "particularly emotional" to show 'Shelter From The Storm' in the city where it was set. Both films were shot in Ireland and completed in 2010.
'The Gates of Dawn' stars Aron Hegarty ('Beau Diable') and newcomer Karen Conneely as Tristan and Isolde respectively, and is based on the original myth of the star-crossed lovers. Eamonn Noone provided the score.
'Shelter From The Storm' plays out racism and gang conflict in nocturnal Dublin as a blossoming love between a young Irish misfit and an African prostitute puts them both in danger.
Following the reception to his previous productions Mr. McFadden expressed his intentions to return to Ireland to film again, dubbing it "an ideal home for every filmmaker".
