Grace Kelly is surely one of the most iconic Hollywood stars of the 1950s. Her beauty and elegance were breathtaking. The fact that her grandfather was a bricklayer from Newport in Mayo just adds to the legend. In September (14 to 16 ), Newport will be hosting the inaugural Grace Kelly Film Festival to honour her life and glittering career. So how does a town with no cinema host a film festival? That is simple – by bringing in a mobile 100-seater cinema and transforming the local school into a venue fit to honour the Hollywood star and real-life princess.
Grace visited her grandfather’s hometown on many occasions in the 1960s and 1970s, and people in the town remember her very fondly. Regina Callaghan, one of the organisers of the film festival, said: “Newport loves Grace Kelly, and we believe we have found a fitting way to pay tribute to her. The Grimaldi family unfortunately cannot attend the weekend festival due to prior commitments, but Prince Albert has given the festival his blessing.”
It seems the whole town will become ‘Grace Kelly Central’ for the weekend as local shops, bars, hotels and restaurants all embrace the theme with events such as a Grace Kelly lookalike competition, vintage afternoon tea, cocktail night and a movie quiz. All that and screenings of classic films such as High Society, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief.
More information and tickets available on www.gracekellyfilmfestival.ie
