Despite the weather planning for the March Festival continues.................

Photo by Harris Moore

My top ten for 2010. Its a hard call as there are some great films that did not make it here to Kerry and I'm sure they are great, however below is based on what I got to see and what I can remember.

The Prophet, this is great cinema, so imaginative! We screened this in the Cinemobile at Dingle last March.

The Red Shoes, I saw this in Cannes when it was launched by Scorsese in 2009, it is simply a visual and emotional feast.

Inception, cracking good fun, I have enjoyed it again on DVD, Christopher Nolan is one of the greats out there.

Toy Story 3, this is a great story, so well told, no.3 in the series but just as good as the first installment.

The Town, may have been similar to Michael Mann's Heat, certainly not as good but a great film and again Ben Affleck proves himself as an excellent director.

Iron Man 2, whats not to like, real good fun and Mickey Rourke was a great villain.

A Single Man, Tom Fords first direction, the pace and look of the film were both exceptional and Colin Firth plays the part really well. Also some great use of saturating colour to tell a feeling and mood, very cool.

Crazy Heart, well one of my favorite actors Jeff Bridges, he will star in the Cohen's True Grit due here in January. Tron is not getting the best of reviews.

The Illusionist, looked sublime, it was wonderful to see London and Edinburgh depicted in such detailed animation.

Mugabe and the White African which we screened last March will always stay with me, a shocking story.

2 great Irish docs on the way from Sé Merry Doyle in 2011, Non-Alien & Dreaming The Quiet Man. Non-Alien will play in Dingle in March.

Great docs coming or just out which I saw at some festivals include: Brenda Belili, Catfish, Upside Down Story; The Story of Creation Records and Lemmy.

Lots of great films coming to the Festival in March - hope to see you there

Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all

Labels: Dingle Film Festival, Top ten films 2010, Top Ten Movies 2010

Betty Blue Director comes to Dingle

Dingle Film Festival in Partnership with Media Desk Ireland present
Contemporary Vision in European Cinema: Style and Content

The Dingle Film Festival is proud to announce, in partnership with Media Desk Ireland, that French film director Jean-Jacques Beineix will be a special guest of the festival in March 2011. Jean-Jacques Beineix will visit Dingle, Co Kerry as part of an exciting panel of film directors the festival and Media Desk are putting together to explore Contemporary Vision in European Cinema: Style & Content. The panel discussion will focus on creativity. Each director will be represented at the festival with a screening of their work.

With his intense focus on the power of images, Beineix paved the way for directors like Luc Besson, Leos Carax and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. A self-proclaimed misanthropist who never hid his contempt for producers and was often deemed excessive and irascible, he will go down in history as a director who raised controversy not for the subjects he tackled but for his stylistic approach. With Diva and Betty Blue, he directed two seminal French films of the 1980s that engaged a worldwide audience.

Beineix began his career working with major French directors including Claude Berri and René Clément and even Jerry Lewis. He created the 'new New Wave' of french cinema and influenced directors all over the world in 1981 with his debute feature, a the romantic thriller Diva. Surprisingly, Diva received a poor reception when it was first released and it was not until almost a year later at the Toronto Film Festival that it received a standing ovation, and went on to major success in the US winning four Cesar Awards including Best First Feature. Diva has been described by critics as "…brilliant, a visual extravaganza..", "Divine Madness.." and: "A thriller with a new way of looking at the world".

In 1983 Beineix directed The Moon in the Gutter starring two big names in European cinema: Gerard Depardieu and Natassia Kinsk, Beiniex filmed Cinecitta on a huge stage with a major budget and in great company: Sergio Leone was shooting Once Upon a Time in America on one side and Fellini And the Ships Sails On on the other.

In 1986 International success returned with the wonderful 37°2 le matin (Betty Blue), which was nominated for nine Cesars, a Best Foreign Oscar, and a Golden Globe, and was awarded the top prize at Montréal. Undoubtably, Betty Blue defines a generation, descibed by the crits as "feverish tale of amour fou….", "A sexually explicite tale of a crazy love", " …infinitely delecable" , "An extraordinarily sensual movie" and "A Masterpiece". Beineix then went on to produce the director's cut of the film some years later, which is three hours in duration.

In 1989, Beineix directed Roselyne et les lions (Roselyn and the Lions) followed in 1992, by IP5, which gained popularity as French actor Yves Montand's last role.

Beineix then resurfaced where he was least expected: directing with social documentaries. He did made a film about children in Romania; one on obsession, Otaku, shot in Japan concerning Japanese youth who are obsessed with action figures and video games, and a piece for television about on French magazine editor, Jean-Dominique Bauby. This piece, Locked-In syndrome, Assigné á residence, was later dramised in Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Jean-Jacques Beineix created his own production company in 1984, Cargo Films, in order to keep artistic independence. In 2006 he published the first volume of his autobiography, Les Chantiers de la gloire published in French only. This title clearly alludes to the French title of Stanley Kubrick's film, Les Sentiers de la gloire (Paths of Glory). Additionally, Beineix is a painter, with several works available to view on his website www.cargofilms.com

Contemporary Vision in European Cinema: Style & Content will take place at the 5th Dingle Film Festival which will open on St. Patrick's Day 2011.

The festival, located on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, once cited as 'the most beautiful place on Earth' by National Geographic. The Festival is also home to The Gregory Peck Award. Recipients of The Award have included 2-time Oscar nominated, Stephen Frears, 6-time Oscar nominated, Jim Sheridan and Golden Globe winner, Gabriel Byrne. Other guests who have participated in the festival include: actor Cillian Murphy, 2-time Oscar nominated, director Sir Alan Parker, Garrett Brown - inventor of the Stedicam, 2-time Oscar winner, sound artist Tom Johnson, 2-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple; producer Ned Dowd, and Oscar nominated actresses Sarah Miles and Saoirse Ronan.

Labels: Dingle Film Festival, Dingle Things to do, Irish film festival, Jean-Jacque Beineix

Spiderhole gets week long run at Tralee Omniplex

This is the cinema where we held the Irish Premiere, it is a beautiful new and most importantly a proper big screen environment, the movie will begin screening on Friday night at 21.30 and 23.30 then again at the same times on Saturday night, and at 21.30 from Sunday through to Thursday, this is very exciting and a break through personally with regard to the Irish Theatric release, getting such a programming window at this time approaching christmas is simply a phenomenon. visit www.spiderholethemovie.com

Dingle Film Festival offers €5,000 cash prize for Irish language Short Film Proposal.

Tá Féile Scannán an Daingin ag tairiscint duais airgid €5,000 don Togra Gearrscannán as Gaeilge is fearr.

The Dingle Film Festival is delighted to announce 'Físín', a call to filmmakers to submit a short film proposal in the Irish language. The competition has a cash prize fund of €5,000 and €1,000 worth of lighting equipment hire sponsored by Cian de Buitléar's company Teach Solais.

Five filmmakers will be selected to travel to the next Dingle Film Festival which opens on St. Patrick's day 2011. Each of the five will be treated as festival guests and will be given the opportunity to pitch their proposal to a panal and a live audience in The Phoenix Cinema during the festival. A wonderful panel has been put together, including the iconic Eamon de Buitléar, writer Louise Ní Fhiannachta, writer Marina Ní Dhubháin and Micheál Ó Fearraigh, Director, Ealain Na Gaeltahta

The opportunity has been put together by the festival to encourage writing of film scripts in the Irish language. Tor Cotton, one of the festival sponsors came up with the idea.

"As an ardent supporter of the Dingle Film Festival I asked Maurice (the director) why he wasn't screening much, if ever, 'as gaeilge' in order to reflect the festival's location in the Corcha Dhuibhne Gaeltacht. The reply I got saddened and alarmed me, it couldn't be true. Were there really virtually no films being shot through Irish? There must be some and I am sure there are some, only a few mind." Tor went on to say "Just as I am shy to speak and thus progress my Irish, it may be that others are cautious about taking the risk to develop their films through Irish. However unlike my toe in the water of the language, the risk of making a bad film is equal in either tongue, I hope to speak more Irish and to see more films 'as gaeilge'. It seemed a logical conclusion to be constructive rather than critical and set up a competition to encourage film making through Irish."

The competition is aimed at people who combine a special interest in film alongside a commitment to the Irish language. The festival is keen to see proposals from all local dialects. This opportunity is open to any individual or group from Transitional students right through to professionals. The application is available on our home page to down load or you can email fisin@dinglefilmfestival.com. If you would like to call, you can contact Brenda Ní Shúileabháin, after 6pm on 066 9159895. The closing date for entries is January 31st 2011.

The winning pitch at the festival will receive €3,000 cash prize and €1,000 worth of rental lighting equipment and will return to Dingle with their finilised film in 2012. Four of the pitches will receive a cash prize of €500 and each filmmaker will receive a personalised commemorative leather notebook designed by Conor Holden.

The Dingle Film Festival, established in 2007, home to The Gregory Peck Award and who's guests have included Gabriel Byrne, Cillian Murphy, Jim Sheridan, Sir Alan Parker, Saoirse Ronan & Sarah Miles, will have its 5th edition next March opening on St. Patrick's Day, the 17th March and running until Sunday the 20th March 2011.

For further information please contact Festival Director, Maurice Galway:
maurice@dinglefilmfestival.com.

Spiderhole, a horror movie set in London but largely shoot in Kerry ( interiors ) produced and financed by a Kerry based production company, will be beginning its theatric release in conjunction with their distributors for the UK and Ireland, Soda Pictures. The film is screening at the IFI on Sat, October, 23rd at 19.20, bookings:

http://www.irishfilm.ie/horrorthon2010/13.html

The movie is beginning a week long run at the Empire Leicester Square from the 29th of Oct, other dates include a 4 day run at the Belfast QFT from the 12th of November.

For more information yon can follow the movies facebook page and become a fan to support this highly accomplished Independent movie:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiderhole/285634445248?ref=ts

Ireland Film Festival

Labels: Dingle Film Festival, Dingle Things to do, Spiderhole

Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels by Dingle Film Festival's Artistic Director, Maurice Galway will be projected on the streets of Dingle tomorrow night, the 24th September as part of Culture Night.

"The range of work is very interesting, diverse yet rooted, connected to here...An Ghaeltacht", says Andrew Duggan who has curated the projections entitled, 'Ó Bhalla Go Balla_Wall to Wall'.

"A necklace of outdoor projections around the town of Dingle showcasing the breath of work here in An Gaeltacht and its influence beyond the physical boarder."

There is also an exhibition of vinyl artwork and DJs in a closed record store on Dyke entitled " Off The Record", starting a 7.30pm.

There is much more taking place in the town and on the peninsula throughout the evening.

Irish Film Festival

Labels: Culture Night, Dingle Film Festival, Fallen Angels, Maurice Galway

The Members and Board of The Dingle Film Festival met last night and held the second AGM of the company. Pictured from left to right: John Naughten, Mike Ó Dulaing, David Chippendale and Maurice Galway. Great plans for 2011 on the way!

Film Festivals in Ireland

Labels: Dingle Cinema, Dingle Things to do, Film Festival Ireland, Irish film festival, Short Films, the Phoenix Cinema

A Unique Film
Showing again tomorrow night and Thursday night at 9pm in The Phoenix Cinema
You must see this film

AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY COMES TO DINGLE

His & Hers, an Award Winning Documentary by Director Ken Wardrop


His & Hers is a multi award winning film that tells a 90-year-old love story through the voices of 70 women from the Irish Midlands. His & Hers won the Audience award in the Dublin International Film festival, the Feature Award in the Galway Film Fleadh, an IFTA for best feature documentary and the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.

His & Hers went on limited release in Ireland on June 18th. Since its release the film was defied all expectations and has become the most successful Irish documentary ever released. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see this excellent documentary yet, go to The Phoenix Cinema Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th August at 9pm.

Labels: Film Festival Ireland

Opening on Wednesday 21 July, a collection of works by sixteen Irish photographic and video artists will be exhibited at the Xuhui Arts Museum in Shanghai, China. Curated by Peggy Sue Amison, artistic director of Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh and Chris Hurley, artistic director of Cork Film Centre, Cork city, 'Postcards From the Celtic Tiger' presents a collection of some of Ireland's most dynamic visual artists utilising photography and video in the country today. The exhibition confronts the radical contrasts resulting from massive shifts caused by the economic boom to the recent downturn, presenting a collective vision of contemporary Ireland through visual art. The show features works by Martin Cregg, Jennifer Cunningham, Mark Curran, David Farrell, Sean Hillen, Maurice Galway, Sarah Iremonger, Maximilian Le Cain, Danny McCarthy, Sandra Minchin, Ciara Moore, Harry Moore, Richard Mosse, Jackie Nickerson, Ailbhe Ni Bhriain and Eoin O' Conaill.

Labels: Film Festival Ireland