As Schull prepares for its 5th Annual Event, acclaimed director Lenny Abrahamson will open this year’s festival with his award winning film What Richard Did. He will also take part in a questions and answers interview following the screening. This short film festival has fast become a major regional happening and has established the West Cork town of Schull on the international film festival calendar. Featuring more than 200 films over 5 days, this year’s festival will run from Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th of May 2013.
Newcomer Jack Reynor, who will star in the upcoming Transformers sequel, stars in Lenny Abrahamson’s feature What Richard Did. Tribeca Film has recently secured the North American rights to the drama which recently swept the boards taking home five IFTAs for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor and Best Editing.
Set in Present day Dublin What Richard Did follows a group of friends over the course of their post Leaving Cert summer, focusing in particular on a young sports star with great prospects, who finds his life irreparably changed in the wake of a senseless act of violence. The film has touched a nerve and the intergenerational dilemmas of the film confront all members of the audience regardless of age.
“We are delighted to welcome director Lenny Abrahamson back to Schull. Lenny is not just a talented director known for Adam & Paul, Garage and now the extraordinary What Richard Did, but his Commitment to education, and his insight into his own process is always welcomed by the young filmmakers who attend CFSFF” says Festival Director Maurice Seezer. “We’ve been able to build a strong following among both our contributors, sponsors and most of all, our audience and are planning the best festival yet for our 5th year.”
The Festival is very much an ‘up close and personal’ experience. Filmmakers, directors, producers and invited guest speakers all share their experiences, giving shape and direction to each year’s challenging programme. This Short Film Festival without a Cinema invites you to explore alternatives throughout the village of Schull, providing those who attend with alternatives. Distributed Cinema is Schull’s very own intranet network dedicated to short film. From a horsebox (with HD streaming) to a micro cinema (with eye-piece), six marquees (with projector & screen), from a bookshop to the village hall (720 HD Projection) and to numerous local pubs and restaurants, Schull’s network connects, through Ethernet cable and wireless, to its own short film archive on a dedicated server. Anyone with a smartphone, laptop or iPad can access the server through Wi-Fi anywhere on the main street and watch any of the 4 years of submission films any time of the day or night.
Over 5 days at the end of May, visitors can view this year’s 150+ Competition films which will be screened in every corner of the village, attend Q&As, Premieres, Workshops and Discussions, enjoy family entertainment at the Tented Fringe all in the beautiful seaside town of Schull. This year’s line up will be announced at the Cinematographer’s Party at the Bodega in Cork City on Wednesday the 17th of April.
Further information on www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.
