The Irish premiere of Belfast rap trio's film KNEECAP and a new film about former President of Ireland Mary Robinson are among a total of 94 films to be screened at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, which starts tonight and runs until 14 July.
The 36th edition of the acclaimed festival takes place in the Town Hall Theatre and Pálás Cinema in Galway and will feature films from 45 countries, including 20 World Premieres, 11 European Premieres and 52 Irish Premieres.
Of the 32 Irish feature films in the programme, Irish language film features prominently including the Irish premiere of KNEECAP; Fidil Ghorm, which follows 10-year Molly who is trying to wake her Dad from a coma; Froggie, a bi-lingual film about brotherhood and growing up and Iarsmaí, which examines how museums and institutions in Ireland and abroad are actively decolonising their collections and practices.
World premieres include Gleann, a love letter to a people and a place; At Sea, "a hypnotic, hallucinatory reverie at the edge of liminal space; Are We One, about Jesuit Zen Master Robert Kennedy; Laoch: Defy the Odds delves into the extraordinary life of Thomas "Tommy" McCague; and Amongst The Wolves which shines a spotlight on the dangers of homeless.
Director Of Programming of the Galway Film Fleadh, Maeve McGrath said, "The line up for the 36th Galway Film Fleadh is very exciting. We have first time filmmakers alongside established filmmakers in a programme packed with drama, documentaries, experimental film and animation.
"The increased production in Irish language film is welcomed, and as well as 6 Irish language feature films in the programme, we have a full strand of Irish language short films.
"This year, we introduce a new strand for cinephiles called Cinefleadh Collection with films that we don’t want you to miss and if you haven’t had enough of the football from EURO 24, we have a strand of football-themed films called The Beautiful Game, so plenty for all audiences to enjoy at the Fleadh in July"
Housewife of the Year remembers a different era in Irish life, and the story of a troubled teen is told in Kathleen Is Here. The International premiere of Savage Beauty: The World’s Greatest Light Installation follows Finnish light artist Kari Kola, as he attempts the impossible: building the world’s largest light installation on a Galway mountainside.
The World Cinema strand with a prize fund of €3,000 includes the winner of the Sundance, World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, Sujo, set in the isolated Mexican countryside featuring Sujo, who finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable.
"The Fleadh programme this year reflects the quality of films that will be available to the audience in July," said Fleadh CEO, Miriam Allen.
"Award winning World Cinema will screen alongside films produced in Ireland ensuring that the local audience has access to new and exciting films curated for them by the programme team.
"The Film Fair goes from strength-to-strength and will host hundreds of meetings over the duration of the festival. This year, we will present the Galway Hooker award to actor Brian Cox, this is the highest award that the festival presents, and Brian will receive his award on July 14th in Galway."
A new film lovers programme called CineFleadh Collection sets the spotlight on films for cinephiles including India Donaldson’s Good One; silent film Gondola; and director Haroula Rose’s All Happy Families.
The GENERATION jury will vote on coming-of-age stories including a road trip in What We Find on the Road; the underground post-punk music scene of 1979 in Head South; parental conflict in Not A Word; cybercrime in My Sextortion Diary and growing pains in Girls Will Be Girls.
This year’s Galway Film Fleadh’s Country of Focus is Palestine with films made in, and about Palestine with narrative and documentary films including The Teacher; No Other Land; Screwdriver; We No Longer Prefer Mountains and from Director’s Fortnight Cannes, closing film, To A Land Unknown.
The Fleadh will also screen over 100 Irish and International shorts, which will be in competition for the Fleadh’s Oscar qualifying prizes.
