Movie magic under Ballythomas stars
IT COULD be ET, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future, or one of a half a dozen other family friendly movies, but you can have your say in what film will be shown late-night at the Outdoor Gap Festival Cinema in Ballythomas School Field on Friday, August 11. Just go to the Gap Arts Festival Facebook page and make your choice.
‘It was only a couple of weeks since the Guardian ran an article looking for a sponsor for the outdoor movie,’ said festival director Garrett Keogh, ‘and there was a great response. People thought it’d be a terrific thing to do – a summer’s night under the stars, an unusual and fun community get-together.’
But these things cost money. Step forward Helen Grannell of Monaseed. ‘I loved the idea,’ she said, ‘so did my friends, they loved it too.’ So she approached businesses in Gorey, and together with the annual sponsorship raised by festival chair Eamonn Nolan, the Gap Outdoor Cinema is now a reality.
‘ The F-14 Tomcats of Top Gun can fly through the skies over Ballythomashill,’ said Keogh. ‘Or maybe it will be Elliot in ET who will ride his bike across the treetops of the woods of Annagh.’
Dave Byrne of Underground Cinema in Bray visited the field at the Gap last week and said it will make an ideal venue. ‘We’ll put the screen in the corner, and lights on the trees. It’ll look amazing,’ he said. People can sit on the grass, bring rugs or folding chairs, but everyone is strongly recommended to dress appropriately, warm clothes, layers, hats, blankets and so on.
The film can’t be screened till it’s absolutely dark, so it could be midnight or near 12.30 a.m. before it finishes. The festival committee has sounded people out locally and the general feeling is that parents might make an exception and keep children up till that time. ‘We’re not aiming it at very young children,’ said Garrett. ‘We will also have the Gap Indoor Cinema on Saturday in the school where we’ll show films for a younger audience.’
Admission to the Gap Outdoor Cinema will be free, thanks to all the sponsors, and in particular to O’Doherty Warren and Associates, Gorey Credit Union, and K&K Windows. See gapartsfestival.com for more.