Every now and again, something crops up on the rich cultural scene Galway is home to, and it makes you think: wow. Generation Fleadh, which runs for four days from Monday, 13 November, definitely wows.
Formerly known as the Junior Film Fleadh, this is much more than a collection of movies about kids, or just films for young people. This is one of those rare cultural channels through which the voices of young people can be heard, but also – and perhaps more importantly - it is a construct through which the young people themselves decide which artistic offerings are worth their reward. Tellingly, even the rebrand from ‘Junior’ to ‘Generation’ Fleadh this year came about because panels of youngsters were consulted on how they wish to be addressed.
Generation is an apt description, because this collection of film screenings, workshops and special events is targeted at whole cohort of young people up to the age of 24 who have grown up with a digital camera tucked into their back pocket almost 24 hours a day.
“I’m constantly reminding participants at our workshops that they have the tools on them, especially to make documentaries or short films,” says Maeve McGrath, Galway Film Fleadh’s Director of Programming. “Our workshops are great for learning the practicalities such as sound, storyboarding, or the skills for putting together a full film crew.”
Go spooky
McGrath’s advice for young people interested in making their first films, is to create short stories from documenting real life, or – for narrative – think about the genre of Horror. “Horror can be so easy to do in the west of Ireland, because all you have to do is go into a dark forest and already you have a set,” she advises. “All that blood and gore is doable too!”
Bursaries are available to young filmmakers, and McGrath’s professional advice is “start small” and work up to the next steps.
The classification of films, especially spooky tales as the nights grow longer, into age appropriate categories is a topic regularly brought up by young movie goers, and this year Generation Fleadh has invited the Irish Film Classification Office ( IFCO ) to run a workshop in Galway for budding moviemakers to feed into that process.
Coming of age
The seminal life period of school years to adulthood, and our younger generation’s concerns about sustainability and environmental change are two themes running through a selection of screenings at the Generation Fleadh over coming days.
The Irish premiere of Gasoline Rainbow, from America’s Ross Brothers, follows five young people on a road trip, looking for a party at the end of the world. This promises to be an absorbing picture, showcasing the high quality achievable from improvisational movie-making.
International
The Irish premiere of Tribeca favourite, Dead Girls Dancing presents a German coming-of-age story of a journey-turned-nightmare navigating life after school. Cast member Luna Jordan will attend. In the Irish Premiere of Sonne und Beton, director David Wnendt takes us through the harsh realities of life in a Berlin suburb following a group of boys striving to make money, but find themselves in deep trouble instead.
Fresh from international success at Cannes is the Irish premiere of Zihan Geng's first feature film, A Song Sung Blue (Xiao Bai Chuan ) which follows 15-year-old Liu Xian have a summer of new experiences when her mother leaves her with her father for the summer holidays.
Premiers
Other Irish premieres include, First Snow of Summer, a bittersweet romance that premiered at Göteborg; the Spanish language film, A School in Cerro Heuso telling the story of Ema's parents who are searching for a safe school space for their daughter, who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum; the environmental interest film, Hollow Tree which tells the interconnected stories of three young women coming of age during a time of rapid climate change; and Heroes which features a group of young migrant men fighting for a better future.
Closer to home there will be three Irish language feature film screenings of Ó Bhéal, Tarrac and Críothe Radachacha and director Tadhg O’Sullivan’s cinematic ode To The Moon will mesmerise young audiences through this moving documentary.
Learning
Teaching the craft of filmmaking is key to the Generation programme of events and workshops are planned for sound production, Irish language movies with Seán Breathnach, and documentary-making with David McDonagh.
There is also a well-established outreach programme available to schools and individuals across county Galway, including in Connemara, Tuam and Aran.
See www.galwayfilmfleadh.com to book film tickets 13-16 November, or reserve workshops and events.
