Latest news with #GalwayFilmFleadh
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shaunagh Connaire, Former Communications Director for George and Amal Clooney's Justice Foundation, Sets Directorial Debut ‘Brown Bread' (EXCLUSIVE)
Shaunagh Connaire, the two-time Emmy-nominated Irish journalist who has produced documentaries for the likes of the BBC and PBS Frontline and also served as communication director for George and Amal Clooney's Foundation for Justice, has made her directorial debut. 'Brown Bread,' which is set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Galway Film Fleadh, is a short film that marks Connaire's first foray into narrative drama, turning her storytelling lens toward emigration and family tension in modern Ireland. More from Variety CNN's Live 'Good Night, and Good Luck' Telecast Spurs Special Coverage CNN to Exclusively Air George Clooney's Record-Breaking Broadway Hit 'Good Night, and Good Luck' Live for Free Joe Biden Didn't Recognize Old Friend George Clooney at 2024 Fundraiser: Report The film — described by Connaire as a 'modern twist on the Irish emigration story' — is led by Emmy-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan ('Lost,' 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'), Katie McGrath ('Merlin,' 'Supergirl') and Dermot Crowley ('Luther: The Fallen Sun,' 'The Death of Stalin'). Inspired by Connaire's own experience of being unable to return to Ireland from the U.S. for her godmother's funeral, 'Brown Bead' follows Áine (McGrath), a woman whose return to Ireland from New York to attend her godmother's memorial mass stirs up old tensions, grief, and unspoken affection in her rural family home. Flanagan stars as Betty, a proud but emotionally restrained mother struggling with her daughter's return, while Crowley plays Áine's father Seamus. 'I was very lucky to have spent the last three years working with George and Amal Clooney as Director of Communications at their foundation. I think being in their presence and learning a little bit about the world of Hollywood, gave me the confidence to enter this world,' said Connaire. 'Brown Bread was my first time stepping onto a drama set. For the past decade I've documented the opioid epidemic in the US, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the migrant crisis in the Middle East — environments where the stakes were very real. This film was a different kind of intensity, but just as meaningful in its own way.' Producer Julie Ryan ('The Young Offenders') of MK1 Studios came aboard the film after reading the script. 'Shaunagh and I have known each other since college, so this felt like a natural fit. I was immediately struck by the script. It was sharp, funny, and full of emotional truth. She's a hugely talented writer and director with a strong sense of tone and storytelling,' said Ryan. 'With the market shifting, short film is a valuable space to develop voice and vision. It gives new filmmakers the freedom to take creative risks and tell distinctive stories on their own terms.' 'Brown Bread' was filmed in Connaire's hometown of Longford, with support from Creative Ireland's Longford branch and local community. The film was written and directed by Connaire, produced by Ryan for MK1 Studios, with Sam and Amelia Dennigan and Anne Heraty as associate producers. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar Solve the daily Crossword
Sunday World
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
BP Fallon on how a film has captured his incredible life in music
The music legend's life is documented in new film about his life and famous pals Both Shane MacGowan and Sinéad are sadly no longer with us, but both are surely there in spirit in a new documentary about the author and musician who's worked with a host of famous names. 'BP Fallon: Rock'n'Roll Wizard' had its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh yesterday, with a veritable who's who featuring in the documentary. Among those talking about their dealings with the Dubliner are Debbie Harry, Adam Clayton, Donovan, Imelda May, Iggy Pop, Bob Geldof, Robert Plant, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Joe Elliott, Dr John Cooper Clarke, Glen Matlock, Alan McGee, Louis Walsh, and many more. BP with Willie Nelson The documentary is directed by Dubliner Alan Leonard, produced by Níall Carver for Speed Of Life Films with Alan Leonard and Fiona Graham also producing for Single Cell Films. 'The impetus was Neil Carver, I met him in the Shelbourne by appointment for afternoon tea, and he said he'd like to do a documentary 'on you as a musician',' explains BP, whose initials stand for Bernard Patrick. 'I said, 'Thank you, I'm in'. People would ask me about doing a documentary every couple of weeks. I always said no. But I said yes to this one, because my music would be in it.' Read more 'With this movie I've given them complete access to my photo archive, which is enormous.' Although born in Dublin, BP was schooled in Yorkshire and moved to London in the early 1960s where he got a job in Apple records and was thrust to the epicentre of the musical revolution. Sinéad O Connor and Shane MacGowan He then became a confidant and creative catalyst for some of rock's most iconic artists. At Apple Records, he worked alongside The Beatles before becoming publicist to T. Rex and a key member of Led Zeppelin's legendary inner circle. 'The first time [he met the Beatles] was 1963 in Liverpool. The drummer and the bass player. The bass player [Paul McCartney] signed my Cavern Club membership card and then in put in brackets 'The Beatles' in case I forgot the name of the group he was in. The first time I saw them play was in The Grafton Ballroom in Liverpool, they did two half-hour sets — it was August 1963.' He even got to star on Top of The Pops as part of John Lennon & The Plastic Ono band. 'I mimed bass on Instant Karma and played tambourine on Instant Karma, on two separate occasions,' he smiles. 'What I most remember about John was that he and Yoko were very kind.' BP moved back to Ireland in 1980 and remembers a young U2, who he would later go on tour with and write a book about. 'They were very ambitious,' he recalls. BP with Debbbie Harry On his BF Fallon Orchestra show on RTE Radio 2, which ran for five years in the 1980s, he had a number of firsts. 'I was the first person to play Sinéad on the radio; I was the first person to ever interview her on the radio actually,' he says. 'I was the first person in the world to play Fairytale Of New York on the radio, I was the first person in the world to play The Pogues on the radio.' BP turns 80 in August next year, but is still dreaming up plans. 'I'm putting out another album, putting out a book, lots more things to do,' he says. 'Thank God for life.'
RTÉ News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Cork director Brendan Canty 'floored' by top prize at Galway Film Fleadh for feature debut Christy
Brendan Canty, the director of the acclaimed new Irish film Christy, has told RTÉ Entertainment he is "floored" by the response to the coming-of-age drama and its Best Irish Film win at the Galway Film Fleadh last weekend. Written by Alan O'Gorman, Christy stars newcomer Danny Power (The Young Offenders) alongside Diarmuid Noyes (Pure Mule: The Last Weeken d, Five Minutes of Heaven). The film follows troubled teenager Christy (Power) after he is thrown out of his foster home and moves in with his estranged brother Shane (Noyes) and his young family on Cork's northside. Watch: The trailer for Christy Christy opens in cinemas on 29 August. "I always knew the home screening would be something special, but I wasn't prepared for just how powerful it would be," Cork director Canty told RTÉ Entertainment after his feature debut's Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this month. "It was honestly one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. To then go on and win - that was the cherry on top." "Even before the screening, during our panel talk, I could feel it - the audience were really hanging on our every word," he continued. "There was such a buzz in the room. And when the film played, the atmosphere was full of warmth and genuine love. You could sense that people were rooting for it, and that kind of support really floored me." Christy 's cast includes Emma Willis (Vikings, The Young Offenders, Dating Amber), Alison Oliver (Saltburn, Conversations with Friends), Chris Walley (Bodkin, The Young Offenders), and Helen Behan (The Virtues, This Is England '90). The film also features members of The Kabin Studio, a Cork-based community arts collective known for its work in hip-hop and spoken word, and whose Kabin Crew enjoyed a viral hit last summer with The Spark, recorded in collaboration with Lisdoonvarna Crew. The Dublin-based Sleeper Films is among the producers of Christy, which has been funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and BBC Film. Earlier this year, Christy won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. Now, director Canty is relishing an Irish cinema release after his debut's success at the Galway Film Fleadh. "I've always believed in this film - the community behind it, the heart that went into it - but seeing how it connected with an Irish audience has made me even more sure," he said. "It's a deeply Irish film, full of hope, humour, and heart. I think it'll really land with people when it hits cinemas." The Galway Film Fleadh winners in full: Best Irish Film: Christy Best Irish First Feature: Horseshoe Best Irish Feature Documentary: Sanatorium Best International Short Animation: Luz Diabla Joe McMahon Award for Best International Short Drama/Fiction: Heat Me Best International Short Documentary: The Miracle of Life and We Were the Scenery (joint winners) Best First Short Animation: One Track Mind James Flynn Award for Best First Short Drama: Internal Bleeding Best Cinematography in a Short Film: The Axe Forgets Peripheral Visions Award: Vitrival - The Most Beautiful Village in the World Generation Jury Award: Where the Wind Comes From Best International Feature Film: Dragonfly Best International Documentary: Gerry Adams - A Ballymurphy Man Best International Independent Film: Adult Children Best Cinematography in an Irish Film: Listen to the Land Speak Best Documentary Project: John Lennon's Island Audience Design Award: Beneath the Surface Best Marketplace Project: Ten Mickeys Pitching Award: The Body + Blood Bingham Ray New Talent Award: Jessica Reynolds Best Irish-Language Feature Film: Báite James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short: Éiru Best Independent Irish Film: Solitary and Girls and Boys (joint winners) Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama: Three Keenings
Irish Independent
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Gerry Adams pays tribute to women's role in resisting British rule at premiere of documentary of his life
Gerry Adams received a warm welcome in Galway City as the documentary about his life as activist and politician was screened for the first time. The Trisha Ziff-directed documentary Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man received its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday.
Extra.ie
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Lights, Gaeilge, Action! - Irish filmmaker on his family legacy of shooting movies
A young filmmaker whose debut short premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh this week is extending an established family legacy of shooting as Gaeilge – and working with legendary Hollywood director Ridley Scott. Oíche Chultúir – a boy racer-themed action short that is set in Gaeltacht-area Connemara – was well received in Galway, almost 50 years after writer/director/star Oisín Fleming's grandfather broke the mould for Irish language cinema. Bob Quinn's 1978 film Poitín, set in the same part of the world, was the first full-length feature shot entirely in the Irish language. Quinn, now 89, ran an independent cinema from his home, later immortalised in the 2004 documentary Cinegael Paradiso, directed by his son Robert and also screened in Galway this week. A young filmmaker whose debut short premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh this week is extending an established family legacy of shooting as Gaeilge. Pic: Sean Dwyer Fleming said he hasn't given much thought to the evolution of life in rural Ireland between his grandfather's film about illicit alcohol production and his own Kneecap-soundtracked caper, which deals in harder substances. But the 26-year-old has 'definitely thought about' the similarities between the films. 'I suppose it's interesting how we both made a crime film with a car chase, and kind of similar cheeky dialogue,' he explained to Fleming, who comes from Bray in Co. Wicklow, has two 'very proud grandparents' in Bob and his wife Helen, who 'helped write Bosco', so filmmaking 'definitely runs deep' in the family. Fleming, who comes from Bray in Co. Wicklow, has two 'very proud grandparents' in Bob and his wife Helen, who 'helped write Bosco', so filmmaking 'definitely runs deep' in the family. Pic: RTÉ That is true even before considering he is the son of Vikings: Valhalla director Hannah Quinn and cinematographer Tim Fleming, whose credits include Gladiator, Once and the Netflix smash Fate: The Winx Saga (which was directed by Quinn). In fact, both his parents worked on Gladiator, where the infant Fleming first shared a set with legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, though it turned out that it would not be the last time. Fleming was a trainee assistant director on the 2021 historical epic The Last Duel, starring 'absolute gent' Matt Damon. 'I definitely was inspired by how direct he was and how calm he was and how simple it was,' Fleming said of working with Scott. 'Just don't overcomplicate it. Direct and clean [instruction] is just always better. You don't want to confuse anybody.' The emerging filmmaker has learned from his parents, too, and doesn't play down the head start he got over less-connected peers. Pic: Supplied One day of the shoot 'really sticks out', he remembered. 'It's a massive scene, 150 extras in the middle of this medieval battle. And over the walkie-talkie, they're like, 'Right, stand by, rolling.' 'And then he goes, 'Okay, wait, wait, let it cook.' And he just waits for 30 seconds, just lets the tension build just to get more out of the performance – just little things like that. 'He'd also set up a shot and say over the walkie: 'I'm painting a Vermeer.' He's an amazing artist. He's always referencing shots or paintings that he wants to recreate. I just love that.' 'I won't lie; it makes my life a lot easier because [my parents are] so well-liked. And I've actually worked with a lot of these people in my career now, that I'd been on set with as a kid. So I'm so lucky. Pic: Supplied The emerging filmmaker has learned from his parents too, and doesn't play down the head start he got over less-connected peers. 'I won't lie; it makes my life a lot easier because [my parents are] so well-liked. And I've actually worked with a lot of these people in my career now, that I'd been on set with as a kid. So I'm so lucky. 'I don't take it for granted. I've had every opportunity to move up in the industry, and I never, ever complain. I just keep my head down and work on it. When I get the nepo baby accusations, I just take it on the chin.' Fleming said he abandoned plans to go to film school after hearing from enough graduates that they 'wish they'd just started working'. Pic: Sean Dwyer Some 60 credits into a career that began at 16, his parents would appear correct in telling him they have 'only brought me to the door'. 'If I'm not good enough, there's no way I'd make it to 60 credits, I suppose,' he added. Fleming said he abandoned plans to go to film school after hearing from enough graduates that they 'wish they'd just started working'. 'They wished that they just learned on the job, because there's only so much film school can teach you, I think. And then people come out of film school maybe and they get a shock to the system, because the industry can be pretty brutal.' Both his parents contributed to Oíche Chultúir, and have mentored their son on their own jobs. 'We work really well together. My mum was definitely tough on me when she trained me first as an assistant director for my first few jobs, but I suppose she did that for a reason, to kind of shape me up. But I'd really love to work with them more.' His brother Jacob and half-brother Eoin are also pursuing film careers, following their father into cinematography. It was not his pedigree or Gaeilgeoir background that inspired Fleming to make films in Irish, but the international success of Colm Bairéad's Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin – first noticed by Fleming while working on The Gone with his mother in Australia. 'All the Aussies I was with wouldn't stop going on about this little Irish film called The Quiet Girl, and I thought, 'Wow, I'm on the other side of the world, and we don't seem to be celebrating our own Irish language films as much as other people do.' 'On the way home, I did the [funding pitch for Screen Ireland] with the Kneecap track [H.O.O.D] in mind, having not known there was going to be this massive Kneecap explosion.' The band were 'reasonable' in licensing the track for use in the film, while fellow Irish-language rapper Súil Amháin requested a donation to the charity ACALI' Palestine in place of a fee. Fleming said the feedback so far has confirmed his belief that the 'tone of the Irish just feels better than the English' in his film. 'I like the cadence when you write it, and I just like the cadence of my film. I'd love to play around with that more.'
