The vast cultural diversity presented by Galway Film Fleadh stands testament to its wide array of guests, ranging from the unstoppable hip-hop group from Belfast, Kneecap, to the ever-charming Mary Robinson, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday and also served as the seventh president of Ireland. One can’t help but recognise a shared keenness for global matters between the former United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights and the hip-hop artists.
Kneecap made a striking entrance for the first Irish screening of their biopic, which received well-deserved praises at Sundance. They arrived in their signature police Land Rovers, saying they can’t wait to see the reaction of the Irish audience who are likely to better understand the cultural nuances that American viewers may have missed. The rap group’s film, scheduled for public release next month, made Fleadh history by bagging three main awards – the Audience award, Best Irish-language feature and Best Irish film – all credited to Rich Peppiatt’s boisterous farce.
On another note, the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, attended the global unveiling of Aoife Kelleher’s respectful documentary, Mrs Robinson. The expertly crafted film contains an impressive catalogue of amateur footage predating the era of home video, highlighting Robinson’s journey from her early days in Ballina to Trinity College in Dublin, followed by her advocacy for legal activism and eventually leading up to her presidency. The film boasts hearty accounts from Nell McCafferty, a fellow contributor to the women’s rights movement, who remembers Robinson as a delightful yet formidable figure. However, it’s Robinson’s own heartfelt revelations, admitting to her missteps during her presidency, that leave a striking impression. Announcing her hopes for the future generations in her speech at the film premiere, Robinson, dressed in an elegant royal purple outfit, expressed her desire for the youth, women in particular, to achieve their maximum potential.
Celebrating the pinnacle of Ireland’s film calendar, the festival once again saw attendees from every walk of life. A highlight was Tim Roth discussing his prolific career in an acting masterclass, led by casting director Maureen Hughes. Brian Cox, who was bestowed the Galway Hooker award, provided a compelling public interview with Kay Sheehy.
The festival maintained its traditional emphasis on fresh Irish films, presenting a range of horror, documentary, experimental and Irish-language movies. Notable was Anne McCabe’s Fidil Ghorm, a touching portrayal of a young fiddler coping with stress after her father suffers a car accident. Memorable landscapes serve as backdrop in this nostalgic film, where Barry McGovern gives a gruff performance as an accomplished fiddler, who after heart problems befriends the lead (Edith Lawlor, who is a talented musician off screen), while waiting for her father to recover from a coma. They end up running away to enter a music competition.The film, which won the award for best Irish debut feature in the festival, refrains from any harshness.
There were also some captivating Irish-language films, such as the rough and ready comedy Froggie, directed by Jake and Luke Morgan. Seán T O Meallaigh and Gearoid Kavanagh appear as brothers who taste brief fame on a television event uncannily similar to The Late Late Toy Show. Their act includes a touching song sung alongside an oversized ventriloquist’s frog puppet. A rift occurs years later when Froggie is lost and discovered in a hostage video. This is a somewhat disordered tale, yet it lends irresistible appeal to the brothers’ adventures in modern-day Galway.
The narrative power of documentary films remains a strong suit for the country. One of the standout documentaries this year was “Housewife of the Year” by Ciaran Cassidy. The film brings to focus the eponymous contest, which had been considered old-fashioned even before it was discontinued in 1995, exploring Ireland’s transformative period as the new century approached. Contributions from past particpants, some of whom proudly showcased their pageant sashes at the Town Hall debut, lend emotional depth to the film. “Housewife of the Year” poignantly reminds audiences of an Ireland that is swiftly fading into unfamiliarity. Through gripping stories of enforced motherhood during economic downturns, the film unsettles. The participants’ reflective disconcertion with their erstwhile conformity is evocative. Yet, there’s an element of dark comedy woven into Gay Byrne’s condescending interviews, particularly when he almost accusatorily probes “Are you a women’s libber?”. The halcyon days these were not. “Housewife of the Year” deservedly bagged the best Irish feature documentary award.
On another note, “The Song Cycle” by Nick Kelly captivated this reviewer. The award for best independent film was rightly given to this documentary that traces the journey of film-maker and musician Nick Kelly, erstwhile frontman of “The Fat Lady Sings”. On the verge of his 60th birthday, he chooses to embark on a cycling trip from Dublin to Glastonbury, accompanied by his old buddy Seán Millar, to modestly perform at the renowned music festival. Along the journey, viewers get a glimpse of Fat Lady’s near brush with fame and Kelly’s choice to quit for a more stable profession. Insights are also offered into Kelly’s affectionate, albeit occasionally distant, bond with his father, the noted politician, legal practitioner and scholar John Kelly. While “The Song Cycle” may be a modest film, it delivers a comprehensive impact on its own merit, with Kelly making for an incredibly likeable subject.
Renowned cinematic expert, Stephan Mazurek, makes his way to Drogheda to execute a documentary about a remarkably stimulating person, Tommy McCague. McCague, a diminutive individual, managed to uplift himself from a mental downturn by embracing the realm of powerlifting and his journey is narrated in the interrupted documentary, Laoch: Defy the Odds. Disrupted by the pandemic and further complicated by McCague’s unexpected cancer diagnosis, the film captures the narrative of someone living in a society not designed for them, with McCague’s sheer charm carrying the storyline.
Mark O’Connor, acclaimed director of crime dramas like Cardboard Gangsters and Between the Canals, revisits the gritty underbelly of Dublin for a challenging narrative called Amongst the Wolves. Prior films bore Scorsese-like undertones set in grimmer urban environments. The recent offering starring Luke McQuillan, Daniel Fee and Aidan Gillen, resonates more with Shane Meadow’s Dead Man’s Shoes. The story follows an estranged soldier who, after a personal calamity, ends up homeless while battling adversity in an unwelcoming Dublin. Despite the bleak narrative, the film acknowledges those who strive to aid the homeless.
Eva Birthistle, a celebrated actor with a vibrant career, most notably in Bad Sisters, branches out into directorial ventures with her feature, Kathleen Is Here, provokingly grounded in realism. The feature chronicles the poignant tale of a young woman portrayed by Hazel Doupe, building an inappropriate bond with a neighbour after being returned home from foster care. The film is laudably unsettling, lead character’s gripping performance with Clare Dunne, playing the unsuspecting neighbour, steals the show during quiet interactions. This shift in her career also earned her the Bingham Ray award, spotlighting new talents.
The award for the best cinematography at the Fleadh film festival was clinched by Damian McCarthy’s thrilling horror flick, Oddity. This movie, starring Gwilym Lee playing a psychiatrist in a lunatic asylum who deflects his wife’s mysterious murder toward a presumed runaway patient, received high praise at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. Oddity isn’t your typical contemporary horror film, drawing nostalgically from the subtle eeriness that characterised British horror from the late 60s and 70s, yet mixing in a good helping of blood and gore. McCarthy, the acclaimed director of the 2020 horror smash Caveat, seems to ride a wave of success. Steer clear from his path!
Here are other award recipients at Galway Film Fleadh 2024, in its 36th edition:
Galway Hooker Award: Brian Cox, for his diverse contributions to theatre, television, and cinema.
Best International Short Animation: Lizzie and the Sea, directed and written by Mariacarla Norall, produced by Maria Carolina Terzi, Lorenza Stella, Carlo Stella, and animated by Ivana Verze, Viola Cecere.
Best International Short Fiction: The Masterpiece, directed by Alex Lora and produced by Josemaria Martinez, Álex Lora Cercos, Néstor López, and Lluis Quilez. The script was written by Lluis Quilez and Alfonso Amador.
Best International Short Documentary: Friends on the Outside, Director and writer Annabel Moodie, and producer Lea Luiz de Oliveira.
Best First Short Animation with Brown Bag Films: Heading Home, directed, animated, and produced by Holly Langan.
James Flynn Award for the best first short drama: Wife of the Future, directed and written by Rory Hanrahan and produced by Louise Byrne.
Donal Gilligan Award for the best Cinematography in a Short Film from the Irish Society of Cinematographers: All That’s Carried, shot by Albert Hooi, directed by Rosie Barrett, and produced by Laura Rigney and Eimear Reilly, who also wrote the script.
Peripheral Visions Award with Galway Cultural Company: Poison.
“Kathleen Is Here” marked Eva Birthistle’s directorial debut, which earned her the Bingham Ray new talent award with Magnolia Pictures. The best Irish feature documentary was anointed as “Housewife of the Year”. “Turnaround” saw Aisling Byrne in the director-writer’s seat and Killian Coyle producing and it bagged the Tiernan McBride award for best short drama. The award for best short documentary with TG4 was split between “We Beg to Differ” and “After the Bomb”. “We Beg to Differ” was directed and written by Ruairi Bradley, and produced by Thomas Purdy and Ruairi Bradley. “After the Bomb” was supervised by Heather Brumley, serving as the director, writer, and producer. Désirée Nosbusch directed the Generation jury award-winning film, “Amal”, backed by producers Alexandra Hoesdorff, Désirée Nosbusch, Petra Goedings, Maaike Benschop, Vivien Müller-Rommel, and written by Lot Vekemans. The film “The Teacher” directed and written by Farah Nabulsi, and produced by Sawsan Asfari Himani scooped the best international film award. The best independent film named “The Song Cycle” was directed, written, and produced by Nick Kelly. The award for best Irish language feature film went to “Kneecap” directed and written by Rich Peppiatt and produced by Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling, Patrick O’Neill. A film titled, “Oddity” won the award for best cinematography in an Irish film with Teach Solais with Colm Hogan behind the camera. The award for the best marketplace project with Bankside Films was given to “Fairies Don’t Exist”, a production by Michael O’Neill and Jude Sharvin of Armchair & Rocket. A project by Zoe Gibney, “Don’s Life Goes On”, won the pitching award with Wild Atlantic Pictures. The James Horgan award for best animation with Animation Ireland went to “To Break a Circle” led by director Kalia Firester and producers Tim Bryans, Andrea McQuade, Lee McQuade. The writers were Kalia Firester and Dara McWade and Cora McKenna was the lead animator. Finally, “Intercepted”, directed and written by Oksana Karpovych and produced by Giacomo Nudi, Rocío B Fuentes, Pauline Tran Van Lieu, Lucie Rego, and Darya Bassel, Olha Beskhmelnytsina won the best international documentary award.
The first feature award within the Irish category went to Fidil Ghorm, a film from Element Pictures directed by Ciaran Cassidy and produced by Maria Horgan and Colum McKeown. Another noteworthy film was Kneecap, produced by Danu Media. This film, directed and written by Rich Peppiatt and produced by Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling, and Patrick O’Neill was awarded the Audience award. Another film directed by Anne McCabe, written by Patricia Forde, and produced by Pierce Boyce and Bríd Seoighe was pointed out.