Kerry Film Festival Film Club Screenings

Kerry Film Festival & Siamsa Tire Present

Kerry Film Club's Winter Season 2008

INTO THE WILD, 8.00PM, TUES, 14TH OCT
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, 8.00 PM, TUES, 11TH NOV
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, 7:30 PM, TUES, 16TH DEC

If you like movies then you'll love this! Film Club Screenings - 2008 Winter Season

INTO THE WILD
Into the Wild - Tuesday 14th October
Run Time: 148 Mins
Director: Sean Penn
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

For more on the film please log on here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/

To view a trailer of the film please click here:


TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
Taxi to the Dark Side - Tuesday 11th November
Run Time: 106
Director: Alex Gibney

An Oscar winning documentary that take an in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002.

For more on the film please log on here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0854678/

To view a trailer of the film please click here:


MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
Miracle on 34th Street - Tuesday 16th December
Run Time: 96 Mins
Director: George Seaton

When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. Starring Maureen O' Hara, John Payne and Edmund Gwenn this timeless classic, which won three Academy Awards in 1948, captures the spirit of Christmas perfectly and is a wonderful way to start the holiday season!

For more on the film please log on here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/
To view a trailer of the film please click here:

EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK BY JANET FITZGERALD & JJ SHEEHY

JJ Sheehy and Con Houlihan

Work inspired by the People and Places of Kerry, exhibition titled Kerry: People & Place, Opens in Samhlaiocht, Thursday, October 2nd

Kerry is an exquisite, enchanting place and those of us lucky enough to live here can easily conjure up pictures of colourful characters and beautiful landscapes. It is these that form the basis of new work by Janet Tvedten Fitzgerald and JJ Sheehy.

Janet, who hails originally from Kansas City in the U.S., and JJ, who hails from Lyreacrompane, have, despite the differences in their birth places, an outlook on life and on art that is as similar as those two places are different. Each draws inspiration from Kerry and from the beautiful landscape, the countryside and from the personalities that live here.

"I have a natural love of what we see all around us," says JJ, "it's the magical things in every day life that I love. For instance, later on this evening, I'm off to the pub to play a game of 45 for a euro! It's those simple pleasures, those every day things that I love most and are closest to my heart."

It's this simple love of everyday things that creates a truth that shines from his work. Janet, who has been living in Ireland since 2001 and in Dingle since 2003, is similarly enamoured with the people she meets or comes across on a daily basis.

"My portrait drawings in the exhibition focus on people that live and work in the Dingle area," says Janet.

Yet from such seemingly ordinary inspiration, both artists have created work that is anything but commonplace. "The people in my portraits come from all walks of life," adds Janet. "A well know Kerry Politician, a respected writer and artists, an elderly gentleman often seen walking the streets of Dingle who never fails to offer a friendly smile, a salute, and a nod. A person's face is a window to the soul and a record of their life, loves, desires and experiences. What interests me is the humanity, honesty, integrity and, sometimes, pure 'character', shinning through each face. And that's what I endeavour to capture and relate to the viewer."

She succeeds in spades. JJ is equally fond of the characters that he comes across and well known, and better loved, Kerry writers feature strongly in his work. Men such as Con Houlihan, Brian McMahon and John B Keane. JJ's proud of the international renown in which these authors are held and prouder still to have known some of them personally, his love of portraiture comes to the fore in his treatment of his subjects.

"I love strong features," says JJ. "For example Brian McMahon had such striking features, yet really calm eyes. My father and mother told me about meeting him in Listowel. He was a man that loved to stop and chat. He liked to talk and to pass the time of day."

While inspired by similar traits the artists use different techniques to portray their subjects. JJ uses generous layers and applications that combine to form images full of character representing the great writers in a powerful yet subtle way while Janet uses sensitive, personal pencil drawings to capture the personalities of her subjects to perfection.

Both artists believe that their upbringing had a huge part to play in their artistic undertakings.

"I was involved in the arts from the time I could hold a pencil," says Janet. "My Father's method for minding his children was setting up a still life arrangement and passing out paper and pencils. I often accompanied him on sketching journeys to rural areas around Kansas City. And it's been a life long passion ever since."

"My father was a writer, a farmer first and foremost, but also a writer. He wrote a lot of songs and poems and many of them were printed in the local papers years back. If you saw where I was born and reared you'd know immediately why he was a writer and I'm a painter!" adds JJ with a laugh. "When you're surrounded by such beauty on a daily basis, it's hard not to try to express it in some way – either through writing or through art."

Two artists, one from Kerry and one from Kansas, despite all the differences, it seems both places are practically the same!

Janet Tvedten Fitzgerald

The exhibition, which is titled 'Kerry: People & Place', opens on Thursday, October 2nd, and runs until Friday, October 24th, in the new Samhlaiocht Gallery which is located in the Old Presbytery on Lower Castle Street in the heart of Tralee. The exhibition will be opened by Mike O' Shea, the well known west Kerry author and personality. Mike's portrait will form part of the exhibition. The Gallery is open from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, is free to visit and all are welcome.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to http://www.samhlaiocht.com/

Credit Union Poster Competition

It's that time of year again, time for the 2008 - 2009 Credit Union National Poster Competition.

The theme of this year's competition is "The Credit Union - CU At Your Place". And the credit Union is hoping that every student in the county will enter!

In the past, winning posters have been used in the National Credit Union Annual Calendar which is a real incentive for many artists as they will be rewarded not just with a prize at each stage of the competition but for those who go forward to national level they will get to see the fruits of their labours by having their poster displayed in calendars in every town in the country.

Last year, Tralee Credit Union had winners at regional and national level, last years national level winner was Aine Daly (13) from Tonevane in Tralee, a first year student in Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School was one of 34 national category winners to receive a prize at the Irish League of Credit Unions 2007 - 2008 National Poster Competition.

The closing date is Friday 24th October 08. For more information and to get application forms please contact Orla from Tralee Credit Union on 066 712 2373 or through email on orla@traleecu.ie

Entry forms are also available on Tralee Credit Union's website www.traleecu.ie Entries must reach any of the three offices in Tralee, Castleisland or Ardfert no later than Friday, 24th October 08.

Belfast Film Festival seeking New Marketing Manager

The Belfast Film Festival is seeking a new Marketing Manager to help promote, publicise and market the festival which has achieved a staggering 35% annual growth over the past 5 years.

Requirements:
- Minimum of 3 years in a marketing and/or festival management role
- Good working knowledge of MS Office including Access and Excel
- Experience of marketing, press and publicity
- A 3rd level degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent professional qualification
- Experience in a management role of a festival or arts venue

The salary for the position is between 21,412 and 26,067, depending on skills and experience of successful applicant.

The application deadline is 24th of September. For more information or to receive an application pack please contact Mave at +44 (0)28 9032 5913 or through email on mave@belfastfilmfestival.org

Interviews will be held towards the end of September or in early October.

More about Belfast Film Festival
http://www.belfastfilmfestival.org/
The Belfast Film Festival originated in August 1995 as part of feile an Phobail (West Belfast Community Festival). After five years of rapid development we moved to city centre premises in 2000 and expanded to a range of venues throughout the city. The festival's growth has continued with audience levels increasing on average 35% annually over the past 5 years.

Belfast Film festival has been at the forefront in championing cultural film exhibition in Northern Ireland. The festival is now one of the key annual events in the city. After a serious setback in 2004 when fire totally destroyed our offices, 2005 saw the festival's most major development to date. With new capital investment from European Union, Department of Social Development and Arts Council NI we moved to our new offices in the Cathedral Quarter and launched our Studio Cinema a 50 seater digital screening room.

Belfast Film Festival is unique in that it is the only festival which has a defined 'socio-political' focus on films complemented by a commitment to bring the best of new international documentaries to Ireland in our Maysles Documentary Competition. Each year a range of films, speakers and seminars focussing on a selected theme provides a platform for debate and enagagement between diverse section of the audience. Themes to date have included Reconciliation and Divided Societies; Ulster Protestant Identity on Film; Irish Women Film-makers; Human Rights and Film; Racism, Community and Film and in 2007 Societies in Transition: Policing for the People.

The Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival, which is celebrating nine years of bringing film to the people of Kerry, today announced the adjudicators for the Kerry Film Festival 2008, which runs from November 1st to November 8th.

The adjudicators that will judge this year's Kerry Film Festival short film competitions are:
Liam Neeson - Best Director
John Carney - Best Irish Narrative Short
Kirsten Sheridan - Best International Narrative Short
Vanessa Roth - Best Documentary Short
Suzie Templeton - Best Animated Short

"The Kerry Film Festival is delighted to announce its line up of adjudicators," said Jason O' Mahony, Artistic Director, Kerry Film Festival. "From Liam Neeson, a wonderful Oscar nominated Irish actor, to John Carney, director of ONCE, to Suzie Templeton an Oscar winner for her animated short PETER AND THE WOLF via Kirsten Sheridan, an Oscar nominated Irish writer and Vanessa Roth, who won an Oscar last year for her documentary short FREEHELD, every member of the adjudication panel is at the very forefront of their chosen profession and we're absolutely thrilled that they have decided to help adjudicate for the 2008 Kerry Film Festival."

"This will be the ninth year of the Kerry Film Festival and both the quantity and quality of the films has been rising every year," continued O' Mahony, "so we're delighted that the quality of adjudicators has kept pace with the growing importance of the festival. We're fantastically thankful to all our adjudicators for agreeing to judge the short films."

The adjudicators have an unenviable task in selecting the best film in each of the categories. Over four hundred films were submitted to the Kerry Film Festival this year, up significantly on the total number of films submitted to last year's festival and more than double the number of films submitted in previous years.

For a brief Bio on the Adjudicators please see below:
Liam Neeson - Best Director
Liam Neeson is one of the leading International film stars working today. Whether it is his Academy Award nominated role of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's highly acclaimed SCHILDLER'S LIST (1993), his award-winning portrayal of legendary Irish Republican hero in MICHAEL COLLINS (1996), or his role as controversial sex therapist Alfred Kinsey in the critically acclaimed KINSEY (2004), Neeson continues to display an acting range which can be matched by very few.

John Carney - Best Irish Narrative Short
John Carney is a writer/director who exploded onto the world stage following the surprise box office hit of critically acclaimed, ONCE, which scooped many prestigious awards including the coveted World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance and an Oscar for Best Original Song, Falling Slowly, by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Steven Spielberg famously said that this "little movie (ONCE) gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year!" With hotly anticipated low budget comedy ZONAD about to bow, and two films in development, John is the most exciting Director to happen to Irish Film for a long time!

Kirsten Sheridan - Best International Narrative Short
Kirsten Sheridan was born in Dublin in 1976. She has had a remarkable career directing five short films including, THE BENCH (1995), PATTERNS (1998), and THE CASE OF MAJELLA MCGINTY (1999), which have all been showered with praise on the International Film Festival circuit. Her first feature film, DISCO PIGS was selected as one of the three finalists in Europe for the prestigious Sundance/NHK Award and went on to scoop many other awards including the Grand Prize Best Film at the Ourense Film Festival.

In 2003 she co-wrote the original screenplay for the critically acclaimed IN AMERICA (2003) for which she received an Academy Award Nomination. She was also nominated for the Golden Globes, the Writers Guild of America Award, and the Humanities Prize. In 2007, Kirsten completed her US feature film debut, AUGUST RUSH, which was a box office success and received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

Kirsten lives and works in Dublin, Ireland where she has her own film production company 'Blindside Films' and is the mother of two small children.

Vanessa Roth - Best Documentary Short
Vanessa Roth is the producer of the Oscar winning documentary short FREEHELD. She produced and directed the 2007 award-winning documentary THE THIRD MONDAY IN OCTOBER and co-produced and co-directed the award-winning 2004 PBS documentary AGING OUT, which is the center of a multi- million-dollar national foster care outreach campaign sponsored by the Annie Casey Foundation. Roth produced and directed the 2002 award-winning film CLOSE TO HOME which premiered at Sundance and aired as a prime-time special. Her 1998 PBS film TAKEN IN: THE LIVES OF AMERICA'S FOSTER CHILDREN won the coveted duPont Columbia award.

Suzie Templeton - Best Animated Short
Suzie Templeton is a writer, director and animator. She studied animation at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, UK where she made the award-winning stop-motion film STANLEY about a man who falls in love with a cabbage! She then studied at the RCA and made DOG, a BAFTA winning stop-motion film about a man and his son dealing with their bereavement. Her half-hour stop-motion adaptation of Prokofiev's PETER AND THE WOLF won a British Animation Award, a Golden Rose, and the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at Annecy. It then went on to win an Oscar earlier this year. She currently lives in Amsterdam.

About The Kerry Film Festival
The Kerry Film Festival was established in 2000 and brings films & filmmakers from around the globe to one of the world's most beautiful locations. With a rich and varied film history the delightfully scenic Kingdom of Kerry, which is located on the scenic South West Coast of Ireland, has starred in Oscar Winning classic films from David Lean's RYAN'S DAUGHTER to Jim Sheridan's THE FIELD.

The main feature of the festival is a short film competition which focuses on young filmmakers seeking exposure for their work. Past adjudicators of the Kerry Film Festival Short Film Competition have included such luminaries as Mike Leigh, Jim Sheridan, Neil Jordan and Gabriel Byrne.

The festival recognises film as an important art medium and provides a diverse range of quality film and has screenings in Tralee, Listowel, Dingle, Valencia, Killarney, Kenmare, Waterville and Caherciveen making it a film festival for all of Kerry. For more information or to download application forms please log onto http://www.kerryfilmfestival.com/ email info@samhlaiocht.com or call +353 66 712 9934

Arts Council August Newsletter

Welcome to the August edition of the Arts Council newsletter

In August, the Arts Council published a new pamphlet as part of the series the Value of the Arts written by academic Kevin Whelan. The pamphlet, entitled Between filiation and affiliation: the space of art, describes the role art plays in our development as a society, and the role of the artistic imagination in creating the future. You can download a copy of this, and all the pamphlets in the series from our website.

Elsewhere in the newsletter, we present www.artsanddisability.com, the first all-Ireland website to provide information, resources and facts about arts and disability; we announce a further three-year initiative for the Traditional Arts, we remind you about deadlines for the Commissions Award, the Small Festivals scheme and Annual Funding 2009 and announce the latest Deis decisions.

The newsletter rounds off with our regular articles on news from the arts community and international opportunities from the Cultural Contact Point.

1. Dr Martin Mansergh launches Kevin Whelan pamphlet at the Arts Council The Arts Council has published a new pamphlet as part of the series the Value of the Arts, written by academic Kevin Whelan.Read more

2. Arts and disability website www.artsanddisability.com is the first all-Ireland website to provide information, resources and facts about arts and disability.Read more

3. Arts Council plans further three-year initiative for Traditional Arts The Arts Council announced its intention to develop a further three-year initiative for the Traditional Arts.Read more

4. Reminder: Small Festivals Scheme 2009, first closing date 19 September 2008 Reminder: Small Festivals Scheme 2009 first closing date - 19 September 2008Read more

5. Reminder: Commissions Award closing date - 5:30 p.m., Thursday 11 September The closing date for receipt of applications for Commissions Award is 5:30 p.m., Thursday 11 September 2008.Read more

6. Reminder: Annual Funding 2008 closing date - 5:30 p.m, Thursday, 2 October, 2008 The closing date for receipt of applications for Annual Funding is 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 2 Octber 2008. This deadline is for organisations seeking funding through the scheme for activities happening in 2009.Read more

7. Deis decisions: July 2008 Deis is a scheme established under the Arts Council's Traditional Arts Initiative, 2005-2008 for one-off or short-term projects. Applications are received on an ongoing basis and decisions are made monthly.Read more

8. News from the arts community Opportunities in the arts community in August include: Common Ground, the an arts development organisation working in the context of community development, seek a part-time Administrator for maternity leave and the Smithwick's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Kilkenny is seeking to recruit a Chief Executive Officer. Read more

9. International news from the Cultural Contact Point News from the CCP in August includes: a call for entries for the 2009 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage; a deadline reminder for the EU Culture Programme Strands 1.1. and 1.2.1; a call for proposals for a new EU Culture Programme; the European Commission renews its call for expression of interest from cultural experts; details about the ENCATC Annual Conference; and upcoming meetings and conferences of the French Presidency of the EU.Read more