A busy weekend for film lovers in Dublin this weekend as both the Fingal Film Festival and the IFI Stranger than Fiction are on in the city. I’m lucky to have films I cut in both.
At 4pm today in Fingal we have a screening of Sarah McCann’s One Ocean No Limits
One Ocean: No Limits is the first Irish documentary on the subject of the extreme sport of ocean rowing, follows a young Irish novice rower through the highs and lows of rowing unassisted as part of a crew of six across the vast Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Barbados.
The film is nominated for an award in the festival as best feature documentary.
The Fingal Film Festival is now in its third year and they have a pretty impressive line-up this year. Mind you its almost impossible to find the schedule of films on their website and when you do find it you have to squint at it as its basically a jpeg. It’s very frustrating when you’re trying to figure out when your film is actually on. Hopefully they will sort it out for next year
The IFI Stranger than Fiction Festival kicked off last night. The festival is Irelands premier documentary film festival and programmer Ross Whitaker has once again gathered together a stellar line up of documentaries from around the world.
Tomorrow afternoon we have the screening of the new IFB Reality Bites shorts and among those we have the world premiere of Ben Jones documentary ‘Under Open Skies’ which I had the pleasure of cutting. The doc is a nostalgic look at Irelands abandoned outdoor handball alleys and I cannot wait to see it on the big screen where I think it’ll be mightily impressive.
Sunday in the festival also see the World Premiere of Showrunners at 8 but i’ll probably post about that over the weekend.
I am absolutely delighted to say that the short film I cut earlier this year, The Last Days of Peter Bergmann has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film was directed by Ciaran Cassidy, produced by Morgan Bushe for Fastnet Films, beautifully filmed by Kate McCullough and edited by my good self. The film had its world premiere at IFI Stranger Than Fiction this year, where it picked up the audience award for Best Short Film. The short film was funded under the IFB’s Reality Bites scheme and tells the story of a man calling himself Peter Bergmann who arrived in Sligo Town in the summer of 2009. Over his final three days, he went to great lengths to make sure that no one would ever know who he was or where he came from.
Being selected is a huge achievement for Ciaran. Only 66 shorts from over 8000 entries were selected and of those only 14 were short documentaries, so to be in that final 14 is massive. Personally it’s a huge thing for me to have a film I worked on screen at such a prestigious film festival. I’m also delighted for everyone involved, as it was a real delight to work on the film. Everyone involved, Morgan, Ciaran, Collie, Guillaume Eugene, Kate and the rest of the gang are all really good people to boot.
Here is the list of the other short documentaries, it includes some heavy hitters like Lucy Walker whose film The Crash Reel is long listed for the Oscar documentary award, Kevin Jerome Everson who has had several exhibitions of his works in top US Museums and star of community, comedian Danny Pudi who made an ESPN 30 for 30 short which was selected
Choreography / U.S.A. (Directors: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin) — Donkeys gaze at those who gaze at them.
Fe26 / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Jerome Everson) — Two gentlemen make a living hustling metal in Cleveland, Ohio.
Godka Cirka (A Hole in the Sky) / Spain, France, U.S.A. (Directors: Alex Lora, Antonio Tibaldi) — Young Alifa looks up at the Somali sky and thinks about her daily life as a shepherdess. She knows the day that will change her life forever is about to come. http://vimeo.com/64763485
Hacked Circuit / U.S.A. (Director: Deborah Stratman) — This circular study of the Foley process portrays sound artists at work constructing complex layers of fabrication and imposition.
I Think This Is the Closest to How the Footage Looked / Israel (Directors: Yuval Hameiri, Michal Vaknin) — A man with poor means recreates a lost memory of the last day with his mom. Objects come to life in a desperate struggle to produce a single moment that is gone.
The Last Days of Peter Bergmann / Ireland (Director: Ciaran Cassidy) — In 2009, a man claiming to be from Austria arrived in the town of Sligo, Ireland. During his final days, Peter Bergmann went to great lengths to ensure no one ever discovered who he was and where he came from.
The Lion’s Mouth Opens / U.S.A. (Director: Lucy Walker) — A stunningly courageous young woman takes the boldest step imaginable, supported by her mother and loving friends.
Love. Love. Love. / Russia (Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram) — Every year, through the endless winters, her love takes new shapes and forms.
Notes on Blindness / United Kingdom, U.S.A., Australia (Directors: Peter Middleton, James Spinney) — In 1983, writer and theologian John Hull became blind. To help make sense of his loss, he began keeping an audio diary. Encompassing dreams, memories, and his imaginative life, Notes on Blindness immerses the viewer in Hull’s experience of blindness.
Of God and Dogs / Syrian Arab Republic (Director: Abounaddara Collective) — A young, free Syrian soldier confesses to killing a man he knew was innocent. He promises to take vengeance on the God who led him to commit the murder.
One Billion Rising / U.S.A. (Directors: Eve Ensler, Tony Stroebel) — In 2013, one billion women and men rose and shook the earth through dance to end violence against women in the biggest mass action ever. The event was a radical awakening of body and consciousness. This is what it looked like.
Remembering the Artist, Robert De Niro, Sr. / U.S.A. (Directors: Perri Peltz, Geeta Gandbhir) — Robert De Niro, Sr., was a figurative painter obscured by the powerful pop art movement. His work has returned to the spotlight because of his son, who happens to be one of the world’s most famous actors.
Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Callander) — Love is swapping clips with your spouse in the middle of a three-gun problem.
Untucked / U.S.A. (Director: Danny Pudi) — This documentary explores the iconic “untucked” jersey worn in 1977 when Marquette University won its first and only national college basketball championship. It was designed by one of Marquette’s players, Bo Ellis, under the fearless leadership of Coach Al McGuire.
The documentary film festival IFI Stranger than Fiction returns at the end of the month. I’m delighted that a film I cut “The Last Days of Peter Bergmann” will have its world premiere at the event. The film, directed by Ciaran Cassidy and produced by Morgan Bushe for Fastnet Films is showing as part of the Reality Bites shorts programme on the 28th September at 6.
you can buy tickets for the film here
and follow updates about the event on facebook here
The Last Days of Peter Bergmann
The other films screening as part of the reality Bites programme are
“There’s no Charge for the Hat” – Tom Burke
“Rebirth” – Emile Dineeen
“Analogue People in a Digital Age” – Keith Walsh & Jill Beardsworth*
(*I was an associate editor on this i should point out)
Stranger Than Fiction is Ireland’s premier documentary film festival and its getting bigger and better every year. This years lineup is really exciting, here are some of the highlights. Tickets are selling fast so get on it…
The festival opens with the Irish premiere of The Great Hip Hop Hoax, the tale of Scottish rappers who reinvented themselves as Californians, having been laughed out of London showcases and dubbed the ‘Rapping Proclaimers’.
Smash & Grab, about the Pink Panther diamond thieves which boasts incredible insider access to the gang.
Salma, Kim Longinotto’s latest film, following an acclaimed Tamil poet nobly looking out for women within her community;
After Tiller, a powerful, timely film addressing the abortion debate in America;
The formally brilliant and effecting Dragon Girls.
Depicting life aboard a fishing trawler, the hypnotic, haunting Leviathan won the prestigious Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival this year.
In contrast, and indicative of the variety of films in the programme, there’s a joyous celebration of Southern Soul music in Muscle Shoals.
Among the Irish programme are Dublin premieres of the Cuban Missile Crisis nail-biter Here Was Cuba,
the personal story of a Belsen-survivor Close to Evil and the beguiling tale of young Sean-nos singers in rural Ireland, Aisling Gheal. There is a range of Irish documentary shorts on saturday lunchtime from directors such as Traolach O’Murchu, Johnny Brew, Eoghan McQuinn, Emer O’Shea, Greg Colley, Rebecca Bermingham,Anne Marie Barry, Peter Middleton/James Spinney and Deirdre Mullins
Saturday night of the festival is not to be missed with the screening of Where the Blue Flowers Grow, capped off by a musical performance by The Cujo Family, the band celebrated in the film.
In addition to the main screenings, the festival will host a range of panel discussions in partnership with Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann, which will give documentary makers and lovers some insight and practical tips on how to grow and succeed in the international market. Panel participants will include Havana Marking (Smash & Grab) and Jeanie Finlay (The Great Hip Hop Hoax) alongside top Irish filmmakers including Cathal Gaffney (Give Up yer Auld Sins) and Nick Ryan (The Summit).
John Murphy 