FIRST WEXFORD FILM FEST ON THE HORIZON
A NEW FILM FEST WILL PUT INDIE FILMMAKING ON THE MAP.
FILMMAKERS from across the globe are being urged to get their submissions in for the Wexford Film Festival, which will make its debut from November 25 to 27 in Wexford Arts Centre.
Organised by Screen-based filmmaker Dave McGlone, the event aims to shine a light on independent films and promote Wexford to filmmakers. At time of writing, Dave had received over 150 entries, including many from far-flung destinations such as Brazil, Cyprus, Jordan, Moldova, USA, Canada. Five Wexford filmmakers have also submitted their films, with several more expected to enter before the September 30 deadline.
Organiser of the event Dave McGlone said that he saw an opportunity to bring such an event to Wexford.
‘ Together with my brother Karl, I have worked as a filmmaker for about ten years and travelled all over the place to different film festivals. I decided that it was about time we had one in Wexford,’ said Dave, who runs Soldier Monkey Productions. ‘ There are small festivals around but I wanted to bring one here that will potentially grow into a much larger festival. I also want to promote the county as a filming location for independent film.’
The ultimate goal is to establish the festival into an internationally-recognised event.
‘We want to make it a big festival on the circuit. We want people to say “let’s go to the Wexford Film Festival”,’ said Dave. ‘ The goal is to make it big enough so that films that win awards will become Oscar-qualifying films. But that is something that is way down the line at the moment.’
People from across the globe who feel they have created some movie magic have until September 30 to send their films to the festival organisers. The 20 films that tell the best stories and connect well with an audience will be selected and screened at the festival in Wexford Arts Centre. Directors of all films selected will be invited to participate in a question and answers session after their film is screened.
‘We are blown away by the number of entries we have received so far,’ said Dave.
To shine a light on films that stand out in particular categories, there will be awards given for best film, best short film, best actor, best actress and best director. There will also be a screenplay competition sponsored by screenwriting software company Final Draft, along with certificates of merit. Over the weekend, filmmakers can also enjoy some panel sessions and workshops.
Dublin-born Dave and his brother Karl have many years of experience in the film industry, with several of their films garnering international attention in recent years. Their biggest film to date is feature film ‘ The Girl at the End of the World’, which they funded completely through crowd-funding. Most recently, their Wexford-based film ‘Half and Half ’ was shown at the film festival in Oklahoma in April, where it scooped the prize of Best Short Film.
According to Dave, there is a small pool of independent filmmakers based in Wexford at present, one that he believes is growing and will continue to grow by the year.