Bealtaine Screening

Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh in 'Gone With The Wind'

Samhlaiocht which continually strives to increase its programme of community arts, this year began a research and participation project with the Active Retired Groups and Day Care Centres across the county, aiming to identify a core group expressing an interest in participating in a long term film project, which would be developed in tandem with both the national Bealtaine Festival and the Kerry Film Festival.

Bealtaine is a national month long annual festival, celebrating creativity in the older age. Throughout the month of May, Samhlaiocht surveyed active retirement groups and centres regarding their level of interest and commitment to participating in the future development of a county wide film project.

And now the hard work comes to fruition. "We were overwhelmed with the response we got to our research. Basically we wanted to engage with active retirement groups through the medium of Film, but we wanted them to be involved from the very beginning of the process," explains Roisin McGuigan, Samhlaiocht. "We first touched base with the groups in May and through our conversations with them we've decided to show two classic films that the groups have chosen. It's a unique way to programme films - the audience actually selects what it wants to see!"

First up is eight times Oscar winning classic, Gone with the Wind, which will screen in Siamsa Tire in Tralee at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 20th of June. With two mesmerising lead performances by Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh Gone with the Wind is set against the Civil War and Southern Reconstruction, this tragic love story offers meticulous backdrops, glorious sunsets, numerous silhouettes, and an ultra saturated Technicolor film creating a hyper-real vision. The romantic score is every bit as lush and dramatic as the photography, borrowing folk melodies from the Old South to make the tragic war concrete. Gone with the Wind stands among the greatest epic dramas ever filmed.

Next up is Brief Encounter, the fabulous classic directed by David Lean, which will screen in Siamsa Tire on Wednesday, 27th of June at 3:00 pm. With the unforgettable Celia Johnson as a prim and proper British housewife tempted to have an affair with a stranger (Trevor Howard) she met at the train station. Atmospheric and heart breaking in its romanticism, it's a must-see for fans of love stories.

"This is just the first step in a continuing relationship between Samhlaiocht and the groups," added Roisin. "We're looking forward to further classic screenings as part of the upcoming Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival and working closely with the groups to ensure their exposure to film is exactly what they would like it to be!"

This project was made possible in part by the support of The Community Foundation for Ireland, a national donor and grant making foundation. It is the aim of CFI to target funds effectively in order to reduce social isolation and enhance the quality of life of Ireland's ageing population.

For more information please call Samhlaiocht on 066 712 9934