The Firehouse Film Contest is a monthly short film festival held in A4 Sounds on Dorset Street, showcasing the very latest efforts from Irish filmmakers, hot off the press. We’ve got the November results and a chat with one of the winners at this month’s screenings, which took place on November 4th.
Firehouse Film Contest is designed to encourage new filmmakers to try their hand at directing short films in a low-pressure, low-cast environment. With entries all made within the last month of the contest, all under five minutes long, it’s a fast-paced, fun environment for developing filmmakers to showcase their skills. There is no entry fee to enter their monthly contests and no prize money and the winners in their various award categories are decided by audience vote. All eligble entries are screened. Screenings of the Contest take place at 7pm on the first Sunday of every month, in A4 Sounds off Dorset Street.
The winners of the November edition of the Firehouse Film Contest are:
Film In Dublin: What is your reaction to winning Best Picture at the Firehouse Film Contest for November?
Aidan Fitzmaurice: It’s something that comes as a bonus really. Firehouse is such a great opportunity to get some work up on a screen, whether it’s fully formed or some weird idea you aren’t sure what to do with. Winning the Best Picture, which is the audience voted award, is a nice little indication that people are on board with an idea.
FID: Can you tell us what Centra Podcast is about?
AF: It’s really what the title suggests, a podcast with people chatting about Centra. I wanted to try and pick the most banal subject possible and set up the idea that people are sitting in a studio for hours on end talking about something that wouldn’t lead to any real content. There’s a podcast for anything now, but the main thrust of the joke was a brand using a media format that doesn’t suit them. It was sparked by a combination of finding out that IBM have a radio station, and Musicmaker, the music shop in town, made a sitcom.
FID: What was the process like of directing this short?
AF: This one was a lot of fun to shoot as it’s all improv. We had some great comic actors in, Giles Brody, Ruth Hunter, Seamus Hanly, and Ian Dunphy, and were able to just let them chat away about Centra for an extended period of time. There wasn’t any budget involved, but it was a great excuse to get some funny people in a room together.
I’ve been making shorts for a little over a year now, and any progress has been down to the Firehouse Film Contest. It gave me a chance to get something on a screen with people watching, it introduced me to some incredibly talented people and gave me the confidence to keep making videos. You just have to look at the people who’ve been involved over the years to get a sense that it’s Ireland’s underground comedy department.
FID: How can we see your films and find more info about Fancy Vegas?
AF: Our company is called Fancy Vegas Productions and you can find some info on us at: www.fancyvegas.com
We upload our videos to our website, our Facebook, and our Youtube channel.
Interested in entering the Firehouse Film Contest? You can contact them regarding submissions at firehousefilmcontest@gmail.com.