The 4th Annual Wicklow Film Festival took place from the 19th to the 21st of September 2019. The theme for this year’s festival was ‘Turning Points’, with six filmmakers choosing films which impacted both their lives and the formation of their careers, to show at the festival. Among those screened in Bray’s Mermaid Arts Centre were Cameron Crowe’s love letter to the 1970’s, ‘Almost Famous’, and ‘Hoop Dreams’, which follows two young men vying for NBA glory.
‘Culture Night 2019’ was also held in Dublin and across the country on the 20th September. Among the variety of events was the screening of a selection of acclaimed films from ‘Screen Ireland’s’ short film schemes. The viewing attracted many keen film enthusiasts to its location in Dame Street, and once again proved the growing interest in Irish film.
In more great news for the Industry, The ‘Irish Film & Television Academy’ (IFTA) announced this week that Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell’s feature documentary ‘Gaza’ has been nominated for an Oscar. The film, which explores aspects of war-torn Gaza often missed by mainstream media, will be Ireland’s entry for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ at the upcoming 92nd Annual Academy Awards.
Coming soon to our screens, Martin Scorsese’s latest crime epic ‘The Irishman’ had its world premiere at the 57th New York Film Festival in late September. It will be streaming on Netflix worldwide on the 27th of November. Also, the trailer for ‘The Rhythm Section’, starring Blake Lively and Jude Law has been released. Parts of the upcoming action thriller were filmed on the streets of Dublin in 2018. It will be released in Irish cinemas in January 2020.
In TV news, the highly-anticipated series ‘The Politician’ has arrived on Netflix. The quirky comedy-drama stars ‘Sing Street’s’ Lucy Boynton.
Gemma Farrell – Film & TV Writer
