The Galway Film Fleadh is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will open in Galway tonight with a Spanish film that will star our own Fionnula Flanagan and Stephen Rea.
The Galway Film Fleadh has declared itself the film lover’s festival and their line-up this year just reinforces that notion, celebrating diversity in film, their aim to bring together filmmakers and audiences in an intimate envoirnment.
The fleadh will open with Spanish dramedy, Tasting Menu, which revolves around an eccentric group of people who attend the closing night of a famed restaurant. The film will open the festival tonight and although tickets are sold out, they may have some cancellations on the door. The cast will attend.
The main events for the Film Fleadh will of course revolve around the guests and this year they have drafted in Galway lover Zachary Quinto for the event. The festival will screen Star Trek on Wednesday 10th July in the Town Hall Theatre. Zachary Quinto will not be attending the Q&A on the day but will be in the Radisson on the Friday for an intimate Q&A.
The Star Trek actor will also be attending the screening of Margin Call which will take place on Saturday 13th July in the Town Hall Theatre at 2pm.
Another huge event at this year’s Fleadh is an afternoon with Saoirse Ronan which will take place on the 14th of July in the Town Hall Theatre. Ronan, an international superstar at this stage, will be discussing her career to date in depth.
Besides the main events, there seems to be a little something for everyone at the Fleadh this year. An early screening of Monsters University will take place on the 10th of July at 7.30pm. This will be teamed with screenings of Pixar shorts which will screen on the 11th of July at 2.15pm.
Our particular recommendations for the Fleadh include the eagerly anticipated Irish film, Life’s a Breeze which stars Pat Shortt and Fionnula Flanagan that will take place in Town Hall Theatre on the 12th of July at 9pm. This will be the Irish premiere for the film.
Music fans will find a few delights in the programme this year, especially Mistaken for Strangers, a documentary based on popular band, The National.
The last day of the Fleadh really pulls out the stops with the Ronan interview, How to Be Happy, an Irish film about a councillor who starts sleeping with his clients following a bad break-up.
The Sea, which stars the wonderful Ciaran Hinds as he returns to a seaside resort he visited as child after his wife’s death will be the closing film for the Fleadh, and a film we would thoroughly recommend.
For tickets or more info, head over to galwayfilmfleadh.com.
