Lelia Doolan explains how the Galway Film Fleadh started and is now held in July every year.
What started as an attempt to bring non-mainstream films to the people of Galway has grown into a major international film festival. A special tribute was paid to festival founder Lelia Doolan in 2010. In this radio interview she speaks to about the origins of the festival.
Following a showing of the Irish film 'Reefer and the Model' at the Galway Arts Festival in 1987, the first fleadh was held in 1988. It was founded by Lelia Doolan, film-maker Bob Quinn, Miriam Allen and Joe MacMahon of the Galway Film Society.
Bob had the idea that we would be a post-colonial film festival, which meant that we would be subversive and narky, provocative.... You know, all the kind of things that one wants to be.
This edition of 'Arena' was broadcast on 9 July 2010. The presenter is Seán Rocks.
