Film festival fun comes to Louth this weekend at the Boyne Valley International Film Festival. Wildcat, directed by and starring father-daughter duo Ethan and Maya Hawke, will be an eye-catching feature alongside some of Ireland’s best local talent.
Wildcat invites the audience to inhabit the mind of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor (played by Maya Hawke) and see the world through her eyes. By collaging excerpts from her short fiction, personal letters, and prayer journals, the film attempts to build the genius of Flannery O’Connor piece by piece, bone by bone.
Showcasing a wonderful array of films both local, national and international films, the Boyne Valley International Film Festival (BVIFF) returns this August 9-11. Presented by Droichead Arts Centre in partnership with LOVE Drogheda BIDS, BVIFF creates an environment for filmmakers and audiences to connect and celebrate film in the historical medieval town of Drogheda, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley.
Curated by acclaimed filmmaker and Boyne Valley native Frank W. Kelly and Director of Droichead Arts Centre Collette Farrell, the festival features an extended programme of screenings, workshops and events, as well as showcasing work developed as part of their important filmmaker funding programmes.
The festival will present a series of shorts by award winning cinematographer and director Alba Fernandez as part of the Filmmaker in Focus programme, sponsored by Osborne Recruitment. Speaking about the initiative, Frank W. Kelly and Collette Farrell said:
“With our Filmmaker in Focus award we look for skilled filmmakers with a unique vision, who have a true understanding of the short film form. Their work is vibrant, energetic and pushes the medium forward with a collaborative spirit. Alba Fernandez is one of these filmmakers and this year we are honoured to recognise and celebrate her work as a writer, director and cinematographer.”
The BVIFF Closing Film will this year be The Island by Fionnuala Gygax. Winner of the BVIFF 2023 Short Film Bursary, the festival further supported the production of the short, and are delighted to see the work on screen.
The festival is also delighted to present more workshops and discussions throughout the weekend. Highlights include a comedy writing workshop with Jonathan Hughes (The Office US); a documentary workshop with Alex Fegan (The Irish Pub) and Laura O’Shea (Wednesday’s Child), a TV panel discussion with Rob and Ronan Burke (Harry Wild), Audrey O’Reilly and Oonagh Kearney (Obituary) and a discussion on mental health in the film industry including Baz Black (Kin/Dublin Crust).
Other exceptional talent on screen includes Peter Coonan starring in two short films: Sentinel and Come Inside, which also stars Seana Kerslake; Ticker starring Paul Copley (Downton Abbey) and Ian Gelder (Game of Thrones); Making Up (UK) starring Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake and Fisherman’s Friends); Worry World (Animated) written by Hugh O’Connor voiced by Domhnall Gleeson; I Found A Place stars Brian Gleeson; With Compliments from the Gentleman Across the Bar in Oman (documentary) features Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones); Next stars Darren Conway; Ready? stars Simone Delaney and Niamh Branigan; Sicar stars John Connors; and the Netflix short documentary fund winner Two Mothers by Anna Rodgers is about a woman who rescues her surrogate from Ukraine. Kiki starring Derek Ugochukwu is directed by Academy Award Nominee Naomi Sheridan.
Season tickets for the festival are available for €35 via www.droichead.com; Saturday Night Gala tickets are priced at €10 and shorts season screenings are €7. Panel discussions at the festival are free.